


My Diamond

by Yellow_Topaz (ObakeAri)



Series: To Be a Quartz [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Adoption, Basically she adopts a kid, Foster Care, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, In which Jasper discovers children, Jasper adjusts to earth life after whatever's about to happen, Jasper finding her happiness is all I want, Jasper still struggles with her corruption, Medical Jargon, Okay she adopts multiple kids, Post-Canon, a tiny lil nonbinary kid, and consequentially her protective instincts, it's all I need, let Jasper be a mom 2kforever, post-redemption arc Jasper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-08-08 20:51:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 112,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7772965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObakeAri/pseuds/Yellow_Topaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Without her Diamond, Jasper didn’t really have a purpose to live by, and what good was a quartz without a purpose?</p><p>At least that’s how Jasper felt until a young child stumbled clumsily into her life. She was Pink Diamond’s quartz, a soldier…but maybe she could become something more?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Diamond in the Rough

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Caped-Ace (PsychopompSentinel)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychopompSentinel/gifts).



> This fandom needs more fanfiction and I could not handle the wait for Jasper's redemption arc so... *throws copious amounts of post-canon Jasper fluff at you all*
> 
> Also, as you can see above, this work is beta'd by and gifted to my dear friend, Caped Tavia. If anyone on here is also a fan of One Punch Man I highly highly recommend you go check out their stuff because they are the king of writing Genosai I'm just saying. 
> 
> Hopefully this fic is as enjoyable to read as it is for me to write and I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can!
> 
> Happy reading, friends!

As much as she hated this gem-corrupting planet, Jasper had to admit (albeit begrudgingly) that the Earth had its charms. 

The sunset was still her favorite part of the day. The broad spectrum of colors from red to deep violet never ceased to bring the quartz soldier back to a much simpler, much happier, much more innocent time in her life when all she ever wanted was to know what grass felt like against her hands, and see the small smile that graced her Diamond’s lips whenever she made the pink gem proud. 

Better yet, Jasper not only knew the softness of grass, but she could  _ lay  _ in it. She could watch flower petals dancing in the wind (the Steven Quartz had said something about the smell of flowers but Jasper had never known what it was to smell considering the placement for her gem. It wasn’t like she could miss something she never knew thought). Even better, she had learned what sand was and, with some convincing, learned to appreciate the feeling of cool ocean water pushing against the shore. 

However, there was a lot more about simple human life that absolutely infuriated every fiber of the gem’s being, to the point that if she still had a blaster cannon she would have leveled the entirety of the city and make the humans start over and fix everything. 

First of all, if you’re going to call a store “The Big Donut” and then proceed to put a gigantic donut on the top of the building, that shit better be edible. And second, if you are going to put an inedible donut on the top of the store, at least make a sign informing customers of the fact (and what the heck did “paying the damages” mean anyway!?)

Thirdly, what puny ingrade designed doors and chairs to begin with anyway? The first time the Steven Quartz and Amethyst had shown Jasper around Beach City, she had all but shattered the glass in the store front because she smacked her head against the door frame so hard. It only got worse as the months wore on, especially when they took her to an “amusement park” to ride a “roller coaster” and she got stuck in the seat, having to bend the metal just to get out after the ride. And apparently it was _her_ _fault_ that she didn’t fit in the poorly constructed chair.

“You could’ve just shape shifted,” Amethyst had offered after a tongue lashing that rivaled Yellow Diamond’s spit-fire from the overzealous man who owned the park. 

“And how exactly would that have helped?” Jasper snapped at the runt, fighting hard to keep from leaving cracks in the earth as she stomped angrily through the park (and that was another thing:  _ why _ was everything here so fragile?!)

“I’m just saying you could’ve shrunk down a bit,” Amethyst shrugged. “Actually, that would probably help you out a lot with getting in and out of smaller spaces too. You could try it—”

“No.” Jasper’s voice was gruff and she spoke more harshly than she probably should have, but no matter how much she tried she still had little control over her temper when a sore spot was struck. 

“Why not?” Steven Quartz asked, “I mean, I know Peridot doesn’t like it because it uses so much energy, but it’s worth a try.”

Jasper fought hard not to make a smart aleck remark. She knew the half-gem meant well, and in her head she knew that Steven Quartz was an entirely different entity than Rose Quartz, but there were just some times when the kid made her want to scrape her own teeth against a chalk board. Instead, the gem glanced down at her left arm and clenched a fist. Even though she had managed to regain consciousness and fought her way back to some sense of normalcy, Jasper found that life after being corrupted was a constant battle to keep the corruption in check. She had to sleep now just to keep her strength. Some mornings she woke up with tremendous pain in the misshapen green shards that comprised the main site of her corruption. She couldn’t let herself get too upset about anything or else she would lose control and revert. Granted, such cases would have to be pretty extreme, and it appeared that the longer she went without an episode the more emotional strain she could tolerate, but she reverted on three separate occasions before Yellow Diamond’s defeat and no matter how many months ago that was, deep down she was still secretly terrified of it happening again. 

And as if to add insult to injury, with gem corruption came several  _ very _ degrading limitations to her abilities. Use of warp pads was hit or miss, summoning her helmet took way more effort than it should have, and she learned the hard way that any attempt at shape-shifting usually ended in a disaster of sorts. 

And to add the cherry on top of it all, Jasper was fairly certain she would never be able to fuse with anyone without corrupting them as well (although, that was probably for the best. She didn’t deserve to have a partner to fuse with. She didn’t deserve anyone, really). 

Heaving a sigh, the quartz soldier finally said, “Let’s just say shape-shifting isn’t my strong suit, okay?”

“Seriously?” Amethyst raised an eyebrow. “But I thought only Era-2 gems didn’t have special powers. That’s why Peridot had those limb enhancers, right?”

Oh great, were they really going to make her say it?

“Yeah, but sometimes injuries can get in the way of doing what you want,” Jasper groaned, waving her arm to make her point. 

“O-oh,” Amethyst said, and suddenly both runts were eerily silent. 

And that was the other thing about Earth that Jasper hated: humans had this really weird fear of insulting others. The fact that Jasper was even  _ conforming _ to this notion by biting her tongue to keep from spit-firing exactly what was on her mind was irritating enough, but then there were the painfully awkward silences that accompanied any mention of her corruption ever. 

Yeah, as if Jasper needed any more reminders that she was a defective gem without a purpose.

As if she felt like she had an actual purpose since Pink Diamond was shattered, but whatever.

(“Oh! But Jasper! You’re so good at working with corrupted gems, they really respond to you! Look at Centi and her crew, they’re almost back to normal thanks to you!” Yeah because that wasn’t a temporary fix like all of the mundane missions Yellow Diamond assigned to her after the gem war.)

“But...I bet those cool claws you have now are useful!” Steven Quartz offered. Jasper glared down at the half-gem, debating whether or not she wanted to inform him that while, yes, claws were really helpful in poofing Yellow Diamond’s soldiers, using them as claws was also excruciatingly painful and she hadn’t tried that since. 

She decided against telling him and shrugged.

“Hey Jasper! Want to go to the beach? I bet you’d like to try surfing!” Amethyst offered. 

“Thanks, but I’m not really in the mood for water today,” Jasper admitted. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the purple runt almost deflate slightly, and for some strange reason (probably because her “sister” had been growing on her a lot lately) the gem couldn’t help but laugh and add, “but I bet I could eat more pizza than you.”

Amethyst all but beamed as she grinned, “Oh, you’re on!” 

And so they ate pizza, and as Amethyst beat her by a slice Jasper resigned herself to admit that maybe life on Earth wasn’t so bad. This was her home afterall. 

 

Of course...that feeling lasted until the very next day when a corrupted gem came crashing through the city.

While Jasper needed sleep now, she needed very little of it. At most she might pass out on the beach for two hours after everyone else had tucked themselves into their homes for the evening, only to wake up to the rising moon and spend the rest of the night wandering aimlessly around Beach City. Steven Quartz had offered her space in the temple, but it still didn’t seem quite right to share a living space with gems she had once called her enemy. Peridot had offered a spot in the barn she now lived in but um...yeah, even Jasper could admit that she didn’t have the courage to see Lapis Lazuli face to face just yet.

It was just before the break of dawn when Jasper rounded the corner of an alleyway she hadn’t explored yet and she heard a noise. It was soft, like the sound of a pebble falling to the ground, or a claw scraping up against the side of the building. Or...both?

Jasper paused, listening for the noise again, wondering if it was a stray animal of sorts. She heard the noise again, but this time it was accompanied with a low growl that definitely was not from an animal native to this planet. 

“Great. This is exactly how I wanted to start today,” she spat, lifting her gaze to see a corrupted gem on the top of one of the buildings. Its tongues lolled out the side of its mouth, and it hopped clumsily on one leg protruding from the bottom center of its body. How did it even get up there anyway? Jasper shook the question away and stepped silently to position herself underneath it as she summoned her helmet. It wouldn’t be hard to launch herself up and headbutt the gem; corrupted gems were already malleable enough. This one looked like it had been a jade of sorts, and they were easy to poof to begin with. 

Well...the task should have been easy had Jasper known that tiny humans could exist without supervision.

Jasper had thought it was odd that the corrupted gem appeared very focused on something and hadn’t noticed her footsteps yet, but then a louder noise from the dumpster startled her, causing her to jump. Was there another monster?

The lid of the dumpster opened just wide enough for the tiniest human Jasper had ever seen to crawl out of it. She was frail and thin with big dark eyes and messy orange hair, and there was no way her body was durable enough to handle the landing from the height of the dumpster. To make matters worse, apparently the tiny human was exactly what the corrupted gem was waiting for. 

Jasper had only a split second to react. Panic welled up in her chest so much that she felt a distinct burning sensation in her left arm but she ignored it and launched herself forward, all while trying to push the images of tiny and frail gems from the Beta Kindergarten being shattered for their weaknesses out of her mind. 

“Look out!” Jasper shouted as she scooped the girl into her arms, curling her body around her as the corrupted gem landed on her, scratching its claws against her back. The quartz soldier landed with a grunt and she hoped she hadn’t shattered this tiny human in the same way her friends had been all those years ago. 

How could something so small and so fragile exist anyway!? 

Taking a chance, Jasper pushed herself up and spun around to punch the monster as hard as she could, letting its form dissipate against her fist as the gem fell to the ground. Heaving a sigh, the quartz picked up the gem and arose to her knees, turning tack to see the girl already on her feet, brushing dust off of her dress. 

She was even smaller than Jasper first thought.

_ How _ was she not dead yet?! 

More importantly, didn’t Steven Quartz say that Tiny Humans were supervised by normal-sized humans until they grew? Where were her supervisors? 

Wait, the humans had a name for it...ugh, what was it?

“Tiny Human,” Jasper barked, getting the girl’s attention, “Where’s your...Greg?”

The girl squinted her eyes in confusion, “My what?”

Jasper cursed to herself internally as she remembered that Greg was the name of the human who looked after Steven Quartz...his...dad? 

No that couldn’t be it…

“I mean, where are the people who look after you?”

“You mean my parents?” the girl asked.

“Yeah, that.”

“I don’t got any,” the girl’s voice was low and she looked at the ground, kicking at a piece of debris. Jasper stared at the tiny human feeling even more confused than before. She thought all tiny humans had parents! That’s how they were even able to exist...right? 

Well, as far as Jasper knew that was the only way they were able to survive, because so far no one bothered to explain to her how humans even came to be, and all she knew was that they didn’t come out of the ground like gems did. 

“Uh...okay,” the quartz soldier grimaced. Small fragile things made her uncomfortable enough as is (they were so easily breakable!) and talking to them was proving to be even more of a chore. “Don’t you have any other...humans to look after you?”

The girl stared at Jasper with wide eyes and instead of answering her question just asked, “Are you an alien?”

“Yes?” Jasper answered, really not sure how that was at all relevant to the issue at hand. 

The girl took a couple of steps towards Jasper, setting several alarms off in her head. The gem sat back on her knees in a mild panic and she felt her injury flare up and spread to her bicep. Why she was so nervous about the literal tiniest thing to ever exist on the planet she didn’t know, but she really did not like the fact that the thing was getting so close to her. 

And her dark eyes were so... _ intent _ ...it was like she was staring into Jasper’s soul. 

“Okay, seriously, where are your caretakers?” Jasper spat. The girl’s eyes widened and she looked down at the ground, saying nothing. Well, that wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Taking a deep breath, she tried something else, “What are you called?”

The girl looked up and puffed out her cheeks, answering, “My name is Sara but I don’t like it.”

With the absolutely slowest blink of her eyes she could manage, Jasper struggled to process the information and ignore the slew of questions that followed Sara’s answer. 

“Okay, Sara,” Jasper said, looking for the right thing to say as she picked up the gem and got back to her feet. “I have to give this to someone else now before it hurts more people. So uh...you should go probably find another human.”

And with that, she turned and left the alley as quickly as she could. When she had gained some distance from the girl she sighed in relief that that was over, and tried to focus on calming thoughts to get her corruption back under control. Well, considering that Jasper was actually calm about 10% of the time, her mind almost immediately drifted to the gem in her good hand. She held it up and inspected it. It was still warm and likely wouldn’t reform for another few weeks if left unbubbled, but they had figured out through trial-and-error that the corrupted gems were easiest to work with when they spent time in a bubble before reforming. 

Jasper groaned. She had been trying almost every day to make a bubble and had recently given up and written the skill off as something else her corruption had inhibited. Garnet assured her that bubbling was something that would come to her eventually, claiming that she could see it in her future vision. While Jasper had heard that Sapphires were known to have future vision, she couldn’t really be sure if that even worked so she refrained from getting her hopes up. For now, she would just have to take poofed monster back to the temple the old fashion way and have one of the Crystal Gems do the job for her. 

The sun was high enough in the sky that Jasper hadn’t thought about startling anyone when she walked through the door of the house attached to the temple, grumbling about the gem in her hand, but wide eyes and gaping mouths stopped her mid sentence. 

“What?” Jasper asked. 

“Uh, Sis? Why is there a kid behind you?”

“What’s a kid?” Jasper asked, turning around only to let out a startled scream when she found the tiny human at her feet, dark eyes full of stars.

  
Apparently, tiny humans were called kids. 


	2. Diamond in the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper and Amethyst try to get the Tiny Human home and it proves to be way more irritating than the cheeto puff had anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I named this chapter and I can't get the song out of my head...
> 
> And as always, special thanks to Caped-Ace for betaing this chapter! Seriously, this fic wouldn't even be happening without you thank you so much~

The tiny human stared up at Jasper with wide eyes that should not have been that big, and Jasper had absolutely no clue what to do. 

“What are you doing here, runt!?” Jasper yelped. The girl said nothing but took two steps towards the gem. The gem took two steps backwards. This was absolutely infuriating; what sick twist of fate led her to be followed home by a fleshy, organic, weak  _ human _ that could be shattered more easily than her sisters in the Beta Kindergarten were? 

“Jasper, wait,” the perma-fusion said in a low voice. Jasper could barely register her over the millions of thoughts going through her head as the staring contest with the tiny human pressed on. She felt a hand tap her shoulder and she snapped out of her trance to see Garnet kneeling down in front of the girl and smile, “What’s your name?”

The kid jumped and clung to Jasper’s leg, who in turn yelped and fought the instinct to retract her foot with so much force that she sent the kid flying. 

“Hey, get off me!” Jasper yelped, but paused again when another hand tapped her. This time it was Amethyst.

“Calm down, Jasper, she’s just a kid,” Amethyst shrugged. “They don’t know a whole lot when they’re that size; she’s probably just lost her parents and needs a grown-up to cling on to.”

“Yeah, well, why me?” Jasper snapped, feeling her skin crawl as the tiny human bundled the tight material of her pants in the tiniest fist ever. 

“I dunno, did you save her from that gem in your hand or something?” Amethyst asked, pointing at it. Jasper stared down at the gem for a moment before casually tossing it to her. 

“Oh yeah, here, bubble this for me,” Jasper grunted. 

“Well, did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Did you save her from the corrupted gem?” Amethyst pressed as she created a bubble around the gem and sent it to the innards of the temple.

“Kind of?” Jasper wasn’t really sure if that counted as a save. The kid had been sitting in a dumpster for whatever reason. “All I did was push her out of the way of it.”

“She was super strong!” the small, high pitched voice broke through the confusion with knife-like precision. All eyes turned to the little girl as she stared up at Amethyst from behind Jasper’s leg, chocolate eyes sparkling. “She-she hugged me real tight to save me, and then-and then she just went ‘pow!’” -the girl mimicked a weak punch before her limbs started flailing emphatically while she told the story- “and then the monster went ‘poof!’ and it was great!” 

“Wow, that must’ve been pretty cool,” Amethyst sat down on the ground, leaning her head into one of her hands. The little girl stepped out from behind Jasper a little bit, nodding her head with a huge smile on her face. Jasper felt herself cringing in disgust.

It was...it was almost kind of cute. 

Pathetic.

“Also, I like your dress. What’s your name?” Amethyst’s ability to connect with humans was something that both confused Jasper and astounded her to no end. With something as simple as body language, and the slightest change in the tone of her voice, she could get anyone to open up and tell her anything, and this kid was no exception. The girl took a few steps towards Amethyst as she looked down at the ground bashfully, tugging at her cherry red skirt now covered in dirt stains. 

“It’s Sara.”

“Ooh, I like your name too, Sara.”

“I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” Sara’s answer was short and gruff as she crossed her arms with a harrumph. Amethyst broke out into a sudden fit of laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Jasper groaned. 

“This kid sounds like you!” Amethyst sputtered, wiping her eyes as she tried to pull herself together. “Sara, you’re like a mini Jasper!” 

Sara gave a small smile and let out a giggle. 

Jasper eyed Sara for a moment, deciding that “mini” was a severe understatement. 

Also she was nothing like Jasper. 

“Well, anyway, Sara,” Amethyst finally leaned forward as she heaved a sigh to conclude her laughing fit, “why were you by yourself?”

Sara widened her eyes and stared at Amethyst for a long moment before she finally answered: “I ran away.”

“You ran away?” Amethyst confirmed. Sara nodded her head. 

“Ran away from where?” Jasper asked.

“Home,” everyone in the room answered. At that point, Steven Quartz skipped forward a little bit as he approached Sara, who then retreated behind Jasper again. 

“Why’d you run away?” Steven Quartz asked. “You’re parents must be really worried about you.”

Sara shook her head and let out a soft grunt. 

“Why not?” Amethyst offered.

“They aren’t my real parents,” Sara answered. “They’re my foster parents, and if I run away they’ll give me away.”

Thus far just about everything that had been said went clear over Jasper’s head. She had no clue what “foster parents” meant, or how it was possible for a tiny human’s supervisors to give them away like some animal, but the other gems seemed to have an understanding of what it meant and their expressions twisted into something akin to despair. 

“Why would they give you up?” Amethyst asked. 

“I don’t like the beach,” Sara answered curtly. 

Amidst the silence that followed, Jasper quipped, “Do I agree with  _ that _ , Kid.”

A soft giggle sounded as Sara leaned against her leg again. The need for the quartz soldier to retract and flinch away from the tiny human was slowly starting to ebb away. 

“But, wait—” Steven Quartz looked confused. “Sara, your foster parents wouldn’t give you up just because you ran away. They’re probably just really worried and really scared for you because new places like this are hard to adjust to.”

Sara shrugged against Jasper, “All the other grown-ups did though.”

Jasper hadn’t known what to say about anything that was going on, but when she gazed upon the lost expressions on everyone else’s faces she took that as a bad sign. 

“I don’t care why you did anything, Runt,” she finally grunted. “The fact of the matter is you disobeyed a direct order and put yourself in danger. We need to get you to your supervisors.”

Sara looked up at her and her brows furrowed in confusion. 

Besider her, Amethyst whispered, “kids don’t know big words either.”

“Uh,” Jasper glanced to the side, “You did what you weren’t supposed to. And yeah it sucks that your actual parents aren’t in charge of you anymore but someone still is for your own good. You jeopardized—I mean, you put yourself in danger and you need to get home to be safe.”

“But I don’t want to go home,” Sara protested. 

“What if Jasper takes you home?” Amethyst offered, ignoring the panicked glares she was now receiving, “And then you can hang out with her as much as you want on the way.”

Sara looked from Amethyst to Jasper and back, clutching the gem’s leg tighter as she finally gave in and nodded her head. 

“Okay.”

“Great!” Amethyst cheered, rising to her feet, “Alright Jasper, show us the way!”

“I’m going to kill you,” Jasper snapped, receiving a cheeky grin in return. 

Sometimes she really hated that overbaked runt. 

As if being followed by a tiny human wasn’t awful enough, the entire walk to the boardwalk was met with the kid’s attempt at trying to  _ hold her hand _ .

Thankfully, though, Jasper was too tall for Sara to be able to reach up and hold it without tripping. 

But because apparently Amethyst wasn’t done exacting her revenge for all of the “overbaked runt” remarks Jasper had made prior to her corruption, she turned to Sara and asked, “Hey, Sara, you want to ride on Jasper’s shoulders?”

“NO!” Jasper shouted as she came to an abrupt halt. 

“Why not?” Amethyst asked, looking way too cocky for her own good.

“I am not letting some weak little twirp sit on me—” Jasper was mid rant when she glanced down to see Sara staring up at her with complete wonder in her eyes and suddenly the quartz soldier realized that her corruption either ruined her worse than she thought, or she was made defective after all.

The twirp was adorable. 

Jasper hated adorable.

Jasper should have hated adorable. 

Jaspers didn’t cave under adorable. 

But...this...okay no, humans must’ve had some special hidden manipulative ability that was unlocked during childhood because there was no way that a  _ quartz _ could fall prey to the big-eyed, quivering lipped expression of a human. 

And here she was, groaning in absolute frustration as she stooped down to place her hand under the kid’s armpits and lifting her practically weightless body to sit on her shoulders. Sara’s giggles escalated to squeals as she rose higher into the air but finally diminished as she settled, patting her hands against Jasper’s hair. 

“It’s so fluffy,” she mused. 

Jasper grunted. 

“So where do you live?” Amethyst asked. 

“I don’t know, I just got here,” the girl answered. “I won’t stay long either.”

“Why not?”

“Nobody wants me.”

Jasper stopped again.

“Amethyst,” Jasper started, the thought striking her suddenly, “are parents...like Diamonds?”

“Uhhh, I guess?” Amethyst shrugged. “Yes and no.  _ Parents  _ are more to help their kids grow up, but the loyalties kids have with their parents are kind of like your loyalty to Pink D.”

“What’s a Pink D?” the tiny human asked. Jasper could feel small hands patting the top of her head to some imaginary beat, occasionally getting caught in large white tufts of hair as she felt her scalp get tugged on as well. 

“Long story,” Jasper said gruffly, her mind drifting elsewhere. Had the tiny human’s supervisors been shattered like Pink Diamond was? Was she wandering all alone, drifting from authority to authority until she was left abandoned without a purpose too?

How right had been Amethyst’s tease that the kid was like Jasper? 

“Okay, so we’re at the boardwalk, do you know where we go from here, Sara?” Amethyst asked. 

The kid softly kicked her feet, bouncing off of Jasper’s biceps, distracted by something that led her to not respond to Amethyst’s call. 

“Sara?” Amethyst asked again. Jasper glanced up at the kid, gently taking hold of her ankles to stop her kicking and get her attention.

“Tiny Human,” Jasper barked. 

“What?” the kid asked. 

“Where do we go?” 

“I don’t...really know.”

Well, that was splendid. 

As if Jasper’s life wasn’t already continuous aimless wandering, because no one around her knew what to do ever. 

“What do you mean you don’t know?” the gem finally snapped. She was really losing her patience. “You said you came here first, right? So how’d you get here?”

Jasper felt something like a chin nestle into her hair and rest on her head as the tiny human groaned, saying, “I don’t remember. I think I went up?”

One glance up at the sky confirmed for Jasper that that was a load of crap.

Humans couldn’t live on cloud bases. There was no way they could get up that high! 

“Wait, Sara, are you talking about those houses on the hillside by the water tower?” Amethyst asked. Jasper followed where the small gem was pointing and vaguely began to understand that up didn’t always mean directly upwards for humans. 

This was way more complicated than it needed to be. 

“Yeah.” Sara’s voice was very quiet as she answered. Jasper felt her eyebrows raise in surprise.

“That’s a long walk for someone your size, Kid,” she noted. “And you were up pretty early.”

“I don’t like the beach,” the kid answered, adding no more explanation. 

And so, two gems and the smallest human Jasper had ever seen made the trek to the houses by the water tower. They passed several families with other children and Jasper couldn’t help herself but to stop and watch these parents interact with their offspring from time to time. The way they were nurtured, the way they had someone to report to. But they had more than that: someone to confide in, someone to comfort them when one slipped and bruised their knee. They had more than the Diamonds ever offered to give. More than the gems ever dreamed of receiving. 

Peridot had once said that really the only purpose for human beings on this planet was living. Jasper hadn’t understood why “living” could even be categorized as a purpose, but when she stopped and watched how small and delicate and ignorantly innocent human beings started out and considered how short their life spans were...living and learning was all they really had time to do. 

But gems...gems just existed. They came out of the ground with a designation and a mission.

They were hollow without meaning. 

Jasper vaguely registered Amethyst tugging on her leg and saying something to her, but it wasn’t until an angry human female came running up to them shouting angry slurs that the quartz snapped out of her trance.

“What are you doing with that child!? She is under my care!” the woman screamed. Jasper jumped, surprised by the human’s venom before she felt her unfiltered, brash anger build up inside of her. 

She contained it, and instead explained, “I found her this morning running around by herself, and we’ve been trying to find her parents.”

“Well, if you could  _ please _ set her down, I am her foster mother,” the woman explained. “But thank you for looking after her.” 

Jasper felt herself rolling her eyes as she sighed and placed her hands around the kid’s hips, lifting her off her shoulders. 

Two hands pulling forcefully (and painfully) on her hair stopped the gem in her tracks.

“Ow! Hey! Kid, let go,” the soldier chided. 

“No!” 

“What do you mean, no?” Jasper snapped. “Your mom’s here, it’s time to go.”

“No!” 

“Sara, get down, you’re in enough trouble already!” the woman barked and even Jasper had to jump at the tone of her voice. 

For someone who was supposed to raise this kid, she didn’t sound very motherly…

Sara bundled her hands into tighter fists and buried her face in Jasper’s hair, letting out a series of incoherent mumbles. While she couldn’t necessarily understand what the kid was saying, she had to admit that she sounded really distraught. 

And...well, having to switch authorities  _ constantly _ with no sense of belonging and no Diamond to call your own was stressful enough as it was, Jasper really couldn’t find a reason to blame the little girl. 

But she still needed to get the heck off of Jasper’s head. 

“How did you get her to leave the temple, again?” Jasper mumbled in Amethyst’s direction. The small quartz spat out a laugh.

“I bribed her with you, genius,” Amethyst answered. “Don’t you remember?”

“I remember, I just hoped there was some other trick to this,” Jasper groaned, resigning herself to accept her fate. Clods almighty, what would the other Crystal Gems think of her if they saw what she was about to resort to? What would  _ Homeworld _ think of her?

Ugh, Jasper really didn’t want to know. 

The quartz soldier knelt down on the ground and tried gently lifting Sara again, this time saying, “Kid, I’m going to put you on my lap real quick, is that okay?”

The tiny human didn’t say anything but she finally released Jasper’s hair and allowed the gem to set her down. 

“Okay, you’re on the ground now, Sara, now get away from that...that  _ thing _ ,” the woman spat, lunging forward. Sara almost immediately let out a screech and pressed herself against Jasper’s body, hugging her tight.

Jasper froze. She had no clue what to do. 

“Sara, enough of this! Just come  _ home _ !” the woman pleaded. Jasper dared to glance up at the human and saw bluish coloring underneath the folds of her eyes. She looked absolutely exhausted.

She looked desperate, almost.

“Wait,” Amethyst stepped forward, “We won’t hurt her.”

“I know what you are,” the woman retorted. “You’re those-those space ladies who call yourselves the Crystal Gems and destroy this city every other week! Stay away from Sara!” 

“Hold on,” Jasper snapped, steeling herself again, “I’m not one of those Crystal Gems. I mean, I’m a gem but I’m nothing like the ones you’re used to.”

“Does that even make it better?” Amethyst mumbled, leaning in towards the larger quartz.

“Shut.  _ Up. _ ” Jasper spat. Heaving a sigh and feeling  _ really tired _ of dealing with human shit all day, she redirected her attention to the human woman. “Just...let me talk to your kid real quick, okay? She’s been glued to me  _ all day _ and I’d like to get her back in your hands as much as you do but I need to talk to her first.”

“There’s no amount of persuasion you can give her,” the woman sighed. Surprisingly, however, she still relented and took a few steps back, crossing her arms. “But suit yourself.”

Jasper examined the human for a long moment after that. There was just something about her body language that Jasper really did not like, no matter how desperate and tired she was from looking for a missing kid all day. Shit, Jasper didn’t even know why she cared at this point, so she shrugged it off and looked down at the little girl on her lap. 

“So you don’t want to go back to your mom,” Jasper noted. 

The girl shook her head and said, “She’s not my mom.”

“Well, she’s looking after you for now and frankly, it’s for your own safety,” Jasper answered. 

“But I don’t like the beach.”

“I don’t like the beach either,” Jasper shrugged, and in some split second decision to pull anything out of her ass just to get this over with once and for all, she added, “but I like hanging out with you.”

The watery stars that filled the kid’s eyes after that caught Jasper completely off guard and she immediately regretted saying anything, but for some even weirder reason the gem couldn’t completely bring herself to take it back. 

In some weird dawning realization, Jasper realized that she wasn’t really lying to the kid either. 

Shaking her weird array of feelings off, the quartz continued, “But you need to go back with your foster mom for right now. If you do, I can promise I’ll see you soon and we can hang out more, okay?”

Sara’s cheeks lit up in a soft pink blush as she smiled, holding her hand up with her pinky finger sticking straight out, “Pinky promise?”

“Uh, what?” Jasper reared her head back slightly in confusion.

Amethyst, coming in clutch yet again, lifted Jasper’s hand and maneuvered her fingers so that she made a fist and then pulled her pinky to an outstretched position, telling the kid, “She pinky promises.”

Jasper watched in utter confusion as Sara intertwined their pinkies together giggling, holding it for several minutes before she released them and then jumped up with all her might to hug Jasper around the neck. In all honesty, the gem did not make a single move on her own accord, she was too confused, and frankly the prospect of injuring such a fragile thing kept her all but paralyzed. 

Finally, Sara released her hug and returned to the human woman who tugged hard on her hand, pulling her away with a gruff, “let’s go” before she thanked the gems and walked away. 

There were a couple of times when Sara turned her head back to look at the two gems now behind her, and as Jasper rose to her feet and watched as those big, dark eyes grew more and more distant, the gem let out a string of curses. 

  
For some weird reason, she kind of missed the kid. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ("SHIEN BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND~)


	3. Just Another Diamond Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper was a lot of things: a soldier, a quartz (an ultimate one if she did say so herself), a gem, a fighter...
> 
> Babysitter was never and should never have been put on that list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I'm saying is Jasper doesn't even know what's coming for her and it's the best of my life. 
> 
> Thank you again, Cape! Seriously, they're the best beta I've ever had I couldn't be more grateful~

Days turned into weeks, and Jasper almost forgot about the tiny human. 

Almost.

If Amethyst would just let her. 

“So have you seen that kid yet, Jasp?” the younger quartz asked for the millionth time that morning as she flung her whip at an oncoming corrupted gem. 

“Why do you need to know?” Jasper snapped back as she headbutted another corrupted gem, poofing it upon impact. 

“You promised her you would see her, didn’t you?” Steven Quartz asked, the brat sitting atop a boulder as he watched the other two gems take on the monsters. Apparently he was nursing a “sprained wrist”, but Pearl had insisted he joined them on this mission to watch how quartzes battled. Jasper didn’t know why...sure he was the same gem type but he kept insisting that he was different, and Rose Quartz had never been one to use quartz-based battle techniques anyway so what was even the point? 

“Who told you that, Steven Quartz?” Jasper snapped as she round-house kicked the other corrupted gem. 

“Amethyst!” Steven Quartz cheered. “And you can just call me Steven.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s my name!”

“But you’re a quartz!” 

“Well yeah, but humans have human names and I’m half human,” Steven explained, his smile irritating the hell out of Jasper.

“And you’re half gem so you have a gem name,” Jasper said. “You said your name was Steven Quartz!”

“Yeah, but Quartz is just my middle name.”

“‘THE HELL IS A MIDDLE NAME!?” Jasper screamed as she punched the corrupted gem with all of her strength. She earned some scolding from Amethyst as she had apparently knocked the physical gem, but thankfully didn’t crack it. Heaving, the gem stooped forward to pick up both gems, tossing them to Amethyst. 

“Oh come on, Dude, you can’t keep making me bubble everything for you, do it yourself!” Amethyst whined, tossing the gems back to Jasper. 

“It’s not like bubbling takes you that much effort, Runt,” Jasper spat back.

“Then you do it!” 

“I don’t know how! I told you this!” 

“Oh! Oh! Can I teach her? Can I?” Steven hopped off the boulder and ran up to them, waving his hand in excitement. Amethyst shrugged and stepped to the side, allowing the boy (gem? Hell, who was to say at this point) to take one of the gems in his good hand, grinning widely. “Okay, so I usually just think of really happy thoughts and then I just” -Steven’s eyes sparkled as a pink bubble formed around the gem in his hands- “do that!” 

Jasper stared down at the boy incredulously. “I don’t do happy, Steven Quartz.”

“Steven,” the boy smiled.

“Steven,” Jasper growled. “Look, that’s not going to work, alright?”

“Um,” Steven looked down at the bubble in his hands, thinking. “Well, Peridot’s first bubble happened when she learned how to sympathize and understand monsters.”

Jasper quirked an eyebrow and glanced down at the gem, “Steven, I was a monster.”

“But you aren’t anymore!” the boy insisted almost on instinct. Unfortunately, Jasper had to admit that his incredible amount of empathy and patience was at the very least endearing. On some other level she also had to admit that the one coherent thought she did remember having was the appreciation for his consistent apologies for what happened to her diamond, and she wouldn’t have been able to climb back to the surface of sanity had it not been for him and Amethyst, but she couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge that outloud. 

“I mean that I know exactly what monsters go through and that still doesn’t help,” the gem rolled her eyes. 

“Well, how do you know if you don’t try?” Amethyst chided. 

“Oh no, I have,” Jasper barked. “Peridot tried to teach me.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Steven,” Amethyst’s voice was low, “I don’t know if bubbling is something we can really teach.”

“Sure we can!” Steven protested. “We just have to find what works.”

“Yeah, but,” Amethyst’s eyes shifted up to Jasper. “Peridot’s bubbles go to the barn. Ours go to the temple. Does Jasper even have a place to send them?”

“Uhhh, I don’t know,” Steven shrugged. “Jasper, where are you staying anyway?”

Jasper shrugged. “Around.”

“Around...where? Exactly?”

“Does it matter?” the quartz soldier was quickly losing her patience. She didn’t like admitting that she didn’t have a place to call home, but she hadn’t had a home since before the war and even then the Beta Kindergarten was just...it was more like a holding cell than anything. Frankly, she was surprised they were even surprised by this fact. 

“Look, I’ll figure this one out by myself later, just someone bubble it already,” Jasper grunted. Amethyst and Steven exchanged unreadable expressions before the purple gem held her hands out to catch the gem that was then tossed to her. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll figure it out.”

Jasper trudged towards the warp pad pretending she didn’t hear the runts whispering about whether or not her corruption probably played a factor in her inability to bubble, among the plethora of other limitations she now faced. 

The three wordlessly warped back to the temple, Amethyst hauling to the kitchen and Steven bouncing off the walls as he told Pearl and Garnet about the events that transpired while Jasper collapsed on the couch, sighing as she reclined, mindful of the amount of give the furniture piece had underneath her weight. 

Chatter rattled on endlessly, most of which the gem soldier ignored as she slowly became more aware of the stinging sensation in her bad arm. Jasper groaned in frustration, clenching and unclenching her fist in hopes that the motion could at least numb the pain a little bit. It wouldn’t go away, and the gem grit her teeth and closed her eyes, figuring it would pass. 

“Yo Jasp, you okay?” Amethyst asked, and Jasper felt her eye snap wide open to lash out at the crystal gems collectively. But when she looked around she realized the other three were still talking about the morning, and Amethyst had somehow crawled up on what little space there was on the couch for her. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jasper heaved another sigh. “It just stings a little.”

“Is it bad?” Amethyst asked, eyeing the growing spikes suspiciously. Jasper shook her head, pretending that was the case. “Well, let me know if it starts hurting more, okay?”

Jasper gave the younger quartz a side-eyed glance. “Why should I?”

“We quartzes gotta look out for each other.” Jasper chuckled at that, and patted Amethyst on the head. The small quartz grinned and said, “Sisters?”

“Sisters,” the soldier agreed. 

Jasper closed her eyes again, enjoying a moment of peace in her own thoughts, thankful that Amethyst knew when to let her be. And of course, because Jaspers apparently didn’t deserve momentary peace, the front door swung open wildly as the human woman in charge of the tiny human shouting, “I’m looking for the big orange one!” 

Jasper lurched forward, smacking her head against a reading lamp that had been evidently placed on one of the bookshelves behind her in the process.

“Uh...may we...help you?” Pearl asked with a furrowed brow.

“The big orange one,” the human woman announced. “Where is she?”

“What’d Jasper do?” Steven asked. 

“I brought her kid back to her, that’s what,” Jasper spat as she rose to her feet. “What do you want, Human?”

“It’s Kathy,” the human woman said blandly. “And I need to ask you something...uh…”

“Jasper,” the gem grunted. 

“And the answer is yes,” Garnet spoke up with a suspicious grin on her face. Jasper shot the fusion a glare. 

What the hell did she know?

“What are you saying yes to…?”

“I’m not saying yes,” Garnet placed her hands on her hips. “You are.”

“To what!?”

“I need you to babysit Sara,” Kathy announced. 

Subconsciously, the gem felt her eye twitch. 

“No.”

“Ah, you already said yes, Jasper,” Garnet corrected. 

“ _ I  _ didn’t say anything, you answered for me, Fusion!”

“You’ll thank me for it later,” the fusion flashed a cheeky smile and for the first time in a while, Jasper remembered what murderous intent felt like. 

“Great, I have to leave for work by 9 tomorrow morning and Sara has the day off from school tomorrow,” Kathy said, her voice droning in a distracted tone as she pulled a pen and notepad out of her utility bag (which was frankly useless considering it had one strap for the shoulder) to scribble something on it. “Here’s my address, be there at 7:30.”

With that, Kathy tore the piece of paper off the notepad and placed it in Jasper’s hand. The gem watched in horror as the woman about-faced and waved her goodbye, and it wasn’t until the door swung closed that she finally registered what had just happened and the gem started sputtering angry slurs. 

“But I didn’t say yes!” 

“Woooow, that’s so cool, Jasper!” Steven cheered. “You’ll get to see Sara again!”

“Uh, Garnet? Are you sure this is a good idea?” Pearl inquired. “Jasper isn’t really the... _ nurturing _ type. And that child the other day was very young.”

If the earth couldn’t be any more surprising, for once Jasper agreed with a Pearl’s opinion. 

“Oh, she’ll thank me for it later,” Garnet insisted, adjusting the lense over her eyes. 

“I swear, if you say anything about future vision I  _ will _ shatter you,” Jasper growled, shooting the nastiest glare she could manage.

Garnet was silent for a minute and she adjusted her glasses again. 

“No you won’t.” 

And as much as Jasper hated Garnet, she hated even more that the fusion was right in at least one regard. No one was shattered and for some gem-corrupting reason she was hesitantly walking up the steps of the house that had the same markings on the front as were scribbled on the piece of paper. 

The quartz soldier tapped on the door, telling herself that she could turn away, but in the moment she decided to turn away, the blasted human woman answered the door. “Oh good, you’re here.”

“Uh,” Jasper grunted. “Don’t humans have two parents?”

“My husband is out of town on a business trip,” Kathy retorted. “Come in, I’ll show you around.”

Jasper hesitated, realizing that she was too tall and too wide to fit through the door. Taking calculated movements to slide herself through the opening, and ducking her head under a few low hanging segments of ceiling, she was taken into a square room with several colorful plushies similar to what Steven possessed, and in the center of it sat the tiny human, holding one tentatively. 

“Um,” Kathy cleared her throat, her tone and expression immediately softening as she knelt down beside the kid. “Sara? Someone’s here to see you.”

Sara looked up, her eyes duller than Jasper remembered. “Who?”

Kathy made a smile and pointed towards Jasper. Sara followed the woman’s finger until her chocolate eyes locked onto Jasper, and her entire face lit up as she let out a soft gasp. 

“Uh. Hey, Kiddo,” the gem managed to wave. 

“Jasper!” Sara cheered, and the child practically launched herself at the gem, slamming hard into her legs and giggling the entire time. “You came back!” 

“Yeah,” Jasper feigned a grin, reaching down to pat the kid’s head only to realize that their size difference was too great for her to actually reach Sara’s head. “I told you I’d see you again, didn’t I?”

“But no one ever does!” Sara cheered, grinning up at the gem to reveal a missing tooth. 

Jasper stared down at the child feeling another strange pang build in her chest. 

(And thankfully later Greg Universe explained to her that it was normal for humans to lose their teeth at a certain age. Still didn’t make the concept any less terrifying.)

“Well, I don’t know why,” Jasper said, feeling her brow furrow, “Anyone would be lucky to get to see you every day.”

Sara stared up at Jasper in complete awe and once again the gem didn’t know whether or not she should have said anything. 

“If you’ll come with me, Jasper, I’ll show you around the house,” Kathy announced. “Sara, could you stay here for a minute? Then you can have Jasper for the rest of the day.”

“Okay!” Sara cheered, releasing the gem’s legs finally. 

The tour of the house and food and anything the kid could possibly need throughout the day was all but a blur, and Jasper fought to compartmentalize all of the information that was thrown at her. 

“Now, you can always make grilled cheese, and there are some leftovers in the fridge you can heat up,” Kathy rattled on, pointing to opaque containers inside. “Or you could go down to the boardwalk, she really likes Fishstew Pizza. But only order a slice and cut it in half. She can have the rest of it later, but the slices are so big for a seven year old. Oh, and order a side of carrots.”

“Does she like carrots?” Jasper asked. 

“She’ll eat them fine enough,” Kathy responded. “She doesn’t talk to me. She talks to my husband even less.”

The gem narrowed her eyes, debating whether or not to speak her opinion about any possible reason that was the case, but she refrained the minute Kathy’s shoulders sagged. “I know, that’s terrible isn’t it?”

“What’s terrible?” Jasper asked. 

“Sara’s been here for over a month and I still don’t know anything about her. She just won’t talk,” Kathy admitted. “And I can’t do anything to convince her she can trust me.”

“I don’t know if it’s an issue of trust, ma’am,” Jasper voiced. “I mean, it’s not easy being detached from the gem you were made for.”

Kathy quirked a smile. “Is that what you consider parents where you’re from?”

“We don’t have parents,” Jasper explained. “We’re...different.”

“I see,” Kathy nodded her head and sighed. “Sara’s mother had a lot of problems, and it kept her from doing her job as a mother, so Sara was placed in foster care. I don’t know the details, I just know that’s the basics of what happened, and that she has been to six different families in the last year alone.”

“That’s...a lot,” Jasper noted. Suddenly, she found herself recalling what it had been like for the Diamond Authority debating which Diamond she needed to go to. She had been back and forth from Blue Diamond’s and Yellow Diamond’s courts for a full century before she was finally able to settle. But  _ six _ authorities? That was too much for a human Sara’s size. 

“And she’s insistent that I’m just going to up and give her away too,” Kathy explained. “She won’t stop running away.”

“Okay so why am I really here, then?” Jasper asked. “I’m not the type to deal with kids. I’m not even  _ human _ . I can’t help you.”

Kathy looked from Jasper to the entrance to the living room and back, narrowing her gaze. “Did you see the way she looked at you? Talked to you?”

“Yes?” Jasper asked. 

“She’s never done that before,” Kathy explained. “And you took an interest in her, a  _ genuine interest _ . She’s never had that and...look, I know I was hard on you when we first met, but I’m not kidding when I say that she only talks to me when she has something to say about you. Please, just...she needs this. She needs you, and I don’t know what else to do; if she doesn’t show improvement in the next few weeks the state’s going to take her away.”

“Wait,” alarm bells sounded in the gem’s mind and she internally panicked. “Governments can’t do that! Can they?”

“The government handles each case as individually as possible,” Kathy said. “In Sara’s case, unless she makes a connection within a certain time frame they’ll take her to a new home to see if she acclimates a bit better. And she has been to some pretty rough homes. Jasper, please—”

The weight of this small child’s situation finally settled on the gem’s shoulders, and before the woman could rattle on any more she finally held her hand up. “I get it. She likes me, for whatever reason, and she needs someone that she gets along with if she’s going to stay here, right?”

Kathy inhaled, lifting her shoulders and said, “Yes.”

“Alright,” Jasper sighed in defeat, once again resigning herself to accept her fate. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” Kathy said. “Really, thank you.” 

“I make no guarantees,” Jasper added gruffly. “I know next to nothing about your species.”

“That’s fine,” Kathy smiled, placing her hands on her hips. “The fact that you’re even willing to try means a lot.”

Jasper was shown other parts of the house before Kathy took her leave, handing her a set of keys to lock and unlock the front door in case they left for whatever reason. Once Kathy left for work, Jasper suddenly became aware that she was now alone with the tiniest human on the planet.

She was responsible for this kid’s well-being. 

Great. 

“Of course this would happen,” Jasper spat under her breath as she returned to the room Sara was in. “Why  _ wouldn’t _ this shit happen on this gem-corrupting planet.” 

She steeled herself and sat down on the ground next to Sara, hovering her hand over one of the plushies by the child. Didn’t Steven Quartz say this “playing with toys” was a thing kids liked? 

“No,” Sara protested, pushing Jasper’s hand away from the plush. Instead, she rose to her tiny feet to grab a tattered-looking bunny behind Jasper, standing on the gem’s thigh and holding the bunny up in front of her face. “This is Fluffers and he’s my best friend.”

“You’re best friend’s a stuffed rabbit?” Jasper asked uncertainly, pushing the bunny out of her face so she could see the kid behind it. Sara nodded her head emphatically, hugging the bunny to her body.

“I don’t have anyone else,” she said. “And Mr. Johnson said Fluffers came from my Ma.”

“Who is Mr. Johnson?” Jasper asked. Sara shrugged.

“Something called a case worker.”

“Ah,” Jasper nodded. Sara sat down on the gem’s lap, tucking her body into the space between as she messed with the bunny’s floppy ears. The quartz soldier stared down at the girl as she rattled on about this that and the other, from Fluffers’ origin story to the last family she was with to what little she remembered about her birth mother. Jasper leaned back on her hands, silently finding herself memorizing the child’s features from her messy orange hair (apparently humans called the color “strawberry blonde”?) to her deep brown eyes and her button nose. Her face scrunched up whenever she laughed and she had an exceptionally wide smile. 

Okay, Jasper had to admit, the kid was really cute. Chuckling to herself, she subconsciously lifted a hand to ruffle Sara’s hair and figured that a day with a human child couldn’t be too terrible to endure.

Little did she know that she owed the fusion the biggest thanks of her life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jasper you seriously have no clue what's coming. (mwahahahahahaha~)


	4. Diamonds are a Gem's Best Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I'll say about this right now is I need you guys to remember the gag with at least one human from Beach City having a little crush on one of the gems (Like Mayor Dewy with Garnet (I believe? It's one of them~)) because that's what I was trying to get with part of this. 
> 
> Also, I'm feeling like the pacing in this went a little fast(?) but Caped-Ace gave me the seal of approval and there is a time skip from last chapter soooooo I'm going to call this good. :3
> 
> Okay, on with the fluff!

One day of babysitting a seven year old quickly turned into a weekend, which turned into whenever Kathy needed someone, which turned into Jasper seeing the little girl every day for well over a year to the point that the gem actually found herself at a loss if she didn’t see Sara. 

Lately though, it had seemed that Jasper was looking after Sara for Kathy a lot more than normal. Kathy was also beginning to look more and more exhausted every time the gem came to visit. She had said that her husband, David, was traveling more, but Sara seemed to think that her foster parents had been fighting a lot recently.

Jasper didn’t know the first thing about human relationships or “marital problems” as Steven’s friend, Connie, had termed it so she chose not to worry, and if Kathy or Sara needed help it wasn’t like Jasper had anything more important to her to occupy her time.

Speaking of which, Sara had been in the ocean for a while now...she was beginning to look a little sunburnt.

“Hey, Kiddo!” Jasper called out from her spot on the beach, “Why don’t you come over here for a bit and sit in the shade?”

“Whaaaat?” Sara called back as she stooped into the water until only her head stuck out.

“Come back into the shade for a bit! You’re getting a sunburn!”

“No I’m not!” 

“Your shoulders are pinker than my Diamond ever was, get over here!” Jasper barked. She heard a soft groan come from the child, but she still complied as she grabbed a sea shell and stepped out of the water, bouncing as she skipped towards the quartz. She plopped down on the towel under the umbrella that Kathy had left with them only to be plucked back up by Jasper and set down on the gem’s lap to be examined. 

“Am I really the same color as Pink Diamond?” Sara giggled as Jasper lathered sunscreen all over her tiny body. 

“You would have been if you had been out in the sun any longer,” Jasper quipped. She was met by a little tongue sticking out of Sara’s mouth in her direction. 

“Am I done yet?” 

“Almost, I need to get your back,” the gem laughed. It was amazing the difference a year could make. Sara had gone from a shy, nearly mute girl who ran away from home, to a little ball of energy in practically the blink of an eye. Just about the only thing that hadn’t changed was the fact that she desired to be at Jasper’s side at all times. 

Jasper fought back a smile at that thought. 

“Okay, I’m done, can I go back now?” Sara whined as Jasper closed the lid to the sunscreen. She didn’t wait for an answer and instead hopped off the towel to scamper back to the water. Thankfully her tiny body made it easy for Jasper to reach forward and wrap an arm around her waist to pull her back onto her lap.

“Hold it, Munchkin,” Jasper said, pulling the child’s body close to her. “You still need that stuff to dry first.”

“But Moooom!” Sara whined, giggling nonetheless as she kicked her small legs wildly before giving in and sinking into Jasper’s lap. The gem froze for a moment to recollect her thoughts. That...wasn’t the first time Sara slipped like that. The last time Pearl had overheard and rattled on for hours about how dangerous it was for Jasper to to tiptoe the line between babysitter and...something else. 

Jasper cleared her throat and held Sara a little tighter, saying, “What, you don’t want to hang out with me?”

“Nooooo,” Sara giggled as she sunk deeper into Jasper’s lap. 

“No, you don’t want to hang out with me, or no you do?”

“I dooo!” 

“Well then sit with me under this umbrella then!” Jasper pressed. Sara let out a couple of groans before settling into the gem’s lap, still holding onto the sea shell. She held it up as high as her short little arms could.

“Do you like this shell?” she asked. Jasper plucked it out of her hands to examine it. It was a peach color with pink stripes running through it. “It was pink, and I know you like the color pink, so I grabbed it.”

“Aww, thanks Sara,” Jasper grinned, resting her chin on the child’s head. Sara had always asked Jasper about gem history. More specifically, Sara had always asked Jasper about  _ her _ history. About the Beta Kindergarten, about the other quartzes that she came out of Earth’s crust with, about her diamond. Thankfully, Sara took little to no interest in the actual gem war, though she had asked Jasper about how she wound up under Yellow Diamond’s authority. But that was a difficult story to tell, and ever since then Sara had been infatuated with finding pink things to give to Jasper. 

Sara let out a sweet little giggle and the two stopped by the fry shop on their way back to Kathy’s. Apparently Amethyst and Steven had introduced her to something called “The Bits”, and Sara had been chanting and pounding her fists against Jasper’s head until they got to the window. A middle-aged man came up to it, “Um, can I help—yooou?”

The man’s pitch upped an octave as Jasper bent forward so she could even look into the window, holding onto Sara’s ankles tightly as the little girl held onto her hair. 

“Yeah, can we get the, um…?”

“The bits!” Sara cheered.

“Oh!” the man grunted gruffly as Sara poked her head out from behind Jasper’s. “You’re that kid that was with Steven, right?”

“Yeah!” Sara cheered. 

“Is she, um...yours?” the man asked. 

“What?” Jasper’s brow furrowed in confusion, glancing back at Sara for a moment before she clued into what he had asked. “Oh! U-uhm, no. I-no, I just look after her from time to time.”

“That’s very noble of you, ma’am,” the man took his hat off without even breaking eye contact as his cheeks turned bright red for some inexplicable reason. 

“Jasper,” the gem corrected. “And...thanks, I guess?” 

There was a very long, very awkward silence, and Jasper felt herself rocking back and forth on her feet wondering if she was severely missing some sort of social cue or human thing.

“Can...we have the fry bits?” Jasper asked, hoping she wasn’t screwing something up.

“Oh! Yeah, sorry,” the man laughed nervously. “Hey, Petie! Fry up some fry bits for me, okay?”

From behind the counter, Jasper heard a small voice say, “Sure thing, Dad!” 

The sound of fries sizzling in the background only added to Jasper’s internal discomfort as the man said, “So, um, you like kids?”

“Well, I mean, when you’re a gem and you see humans that small and fragile for the first time it takes some getting used to but, uh…” Jasper felt very caught off guard by her own ramblings, having no clue how to answer the question. She straightened up so Sara could balance more easily on her shoulders. “Yeah, Sara’s a good kid. I like hanging out with her.”

“You know, I have two kids myself,” the man said, leaning his arm against the countertop. “That single parent life, you know?”

“No...I don’t,” Jasper answered. 

“Well,” the man cleared his throat. “I’m Fryman.”

“Jasper,” the gem nodded. “Though...I already said that.”

Apparently, the gem’s lack of understanding of anything regarding human interaction was hilarious. She wasn’t sure how to keep up the conversation, but thankfully the smaller fryman came up and placed the bits on the table. 

“Oh, there are your Fry Bits,” Fryman chuckled. 

“Yeeeeeah,” Jasper glanced from the fries to the human and back. He would not break eye contact. 

Slowly, Jasper slid the carton of fries off the counter and walked away, not sure if that was the right course of action, but she committed to it because she hated talking to people and also this was what was happening. 

“He seemed nice,” Sara mused as Jasper set her down on a bench so she could eat. 

“Yeah,” Jasper ran her good hand over the corruption on her wrist. “Eat up, kiddo, we need to get you home soon.”

“Okay!” Sara ate what she could, and Jasper ate whatever she didn’t finish, and they walked the rest of the way to Kathy’s. When they reached the front door, however, Jasper hesitated to knock. 

On the other side of the door, she could hear the distinct sounds of Kathy and David shouting at each other. 

“What’s wrong, Jasper?” Sara asked. Jasper couldn’t really register the question as she tried to listen in. David had always been a soft-spoken individual and she could barely make out his low drones. Kathy sounded much more excitable. 

Wait...was she crying?

“Jasper?” Sara asked again.

“Oh! Sorry, Kiddo,” Jasper grunted, figuring that whatever was happening she might as well drop the child off anyway. 

Kathy answered the door looking very angry with very red eyes. “What!?” she snapped before jumping in realization. “Oh, Jasper, I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s alright,” Jasper shrugged. “Are...you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Kathy spat, opening the door a little wider. “Alright, Sara, did you have a good day?”

“Yeah,” Sara hummed as Jasper set her down. She instinctively ran into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. “Well, unless you need anything else, I’ll go ahead and—”

“Actually, Jasper,” Kathy heaved a sigh, looking on the verge of tears. “Could you get Sara ready for bed? David and I still...we have a lot to talk about.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Jasper nodded, half-tempted to ask what was wrong. But it was none of her business. She slid carefully through the doorway and ducked her head going up the stairs (clods, she hated the upper floor of this house, she could barely fit) to find Sara already in her pajamas and standing on a stool to brush her teeth.

“Your tag is sticking out,” Jasper announced as she leaned against the door frame. Sara looked up and grinned through the foam of her toothpaste. 

She spit out the toothpaste and gargled before she finally asked, “Are you going to tell me a bedtime story?”

“I sure can,” Jasper grinned, holding her arms out so the child could jump into her arms, wrapping her small arms around the gem’s neck as she was carried and deposited onto her bed. Jasper was careful to balance herself without falling onto the bed as she set Sara down before kneeling on the floor and asking, “What do you want to hear?”

“Ummmm,” Sara touched a finger to her mouth in thought. Suddenly, her chocolate eyes snapped to Jasper’s arm and she pointed at it asking, “How’d you get those markings?”

“Oh, well they aren’t really markings,” Jasper eyed her hand. “They’re scars. And it’s not really a happy story.”

“That’s okay,” Sara said, rolling onto her side. “I wanna know.”

“Hoo boy,” Jasper heaved. How did you even explain corruption to a little kid? 

Well, the attempt was valiant, and Jasper elected to leave out several of the more graphic details, but she told Sara about fusion and how she had always seen it as a battle tactic, especially during the war. She told Sara how she didn’t realize that, while yes it was definitely a good tactic to strengthen gems, the fusion of two different types of gems altogether was more of a relationship and a conversation more than anything. She told Sara about Malachite and how she never expected that relationship with Lapis Lazuli to be so...forced and dangerous and unhealthy. She told Sara how an unstable fusion left her badly injured afterwards, but determined to fuse again and make the next one better, stronger, safer. She told Sara that her delusions really  _ really _ backfired, and she told Sara about corruption, and she told Sara how her obsession ultimately corrupted her as well, driving her insane for a short while before coaxing from gems she now begrudgingly referred to as her friends helped rehabilitate her enough to fight her way back to sanity and regain her form. She told Sara how her choices and mistakes didn’t come without a price, and how she would always carry the scars from those dark dark days with her. 

About halfway through the story, when Jasper caught onto Sara’s wide, watery eyes she, regretted saying anything and kicked herself for not knowing better and as she concluded, slowly trailing off by insisting that she was okay and everything was okay, Sara licked her hand and smacked the slobbery palm against Jasper’s forearm. 

“What was that?” Jasper asked.

Sara grinned widely, “Healing spit!” 

Jasper lifted her eyebrows in complete surprise. “W-what?”

“Did it work?” Sara asked, that awe-struck, star-filled look in her eyes. 

Jasper fought the urge to wipe the spit residue off her hand as she examined the corruption. While healing spit was an ability exclusive to Steven, she didn’t have the heart to say that to the kid. And besides...on some level, Sara did have a magical way of making things better.

“Yeah, Kiddo,” Jasper grinned, leaning forward to pull the little girl into a hug. “Yeah it did.”

Jasper wandered wordlessly to the temple that night to find Pearl on the front porch. Curious, the quartz climbed the stairs to meet her, finding her sitting on the railing with her knees tucked to her chest. 

“Everything alright?” Jasper asked. Pearl heaved a sigh. 

“I miss her,” she said aloud, probably not thinking anything of who she was talking to. “Rose, she...she would be so proud of Steven. She was so kind and so…”

Pearl trailed off, and Jasper wasn’t sure if it was because she was lost in emotion, or because she realized that this was  _ Jasper _ she was talking to, or because she heard the disdainful grunt that accidentally slipped out of Jasper’s lips. Jasper really hoped it wasn’t the latter. As much as she couldn’t forgive Rose, she  _ could _ forgive the Crystal Gems, and she  _ could _ respect them and appreciate them. 

She could understand exactly how Pearl felt about Rose. 

Pearls were to other gems as other gems were to Diamonds after all. 

Or at least...Pearl was to Rose as Jasper was to Pink Diamond. 

“I wish I could say it gets easier, but it really doesn’t,” Jasper offered, placing her hands on her hips. Pearl’s head shot up in surprise. 

“Who did you--?” 

“Pink Diamond was very personable with all of her gems,” Jasper explained. “And she was kind to all of us, even the defective ones. It wasn’t until her gems got dispersed that the other Diamonds decided to shatter my friends from the Beta Kindergarten after all, but uh...I was my Diamond’s highest ranking officer...and I spent a lot of time with her. She was always professional and never crossed any lines, but I was young and...I couldn’t help myself.”

“Jasper, I had no idea,” Pearl’s voice was soft and her eyes were wide. Jasper merely rocked on her heels, uncertain how to take the gaze that was directed her way so she shrugged.

“It’s alright. It was over 5,000 years ago,” Jasper laughed. “I’ve moved on for the most part. I’m healing. But there are still nights where I hear someone say something or do something—especially Sara—and I can’t help but see  _ her, _ and then I spend the rest of the night trying and failing to get her out of my head.”

The quartz shoulder glanced at the pearl that now looked like she was putting mental puzzle pieces together, so Jasper huffed a shaky breath and added, “I guess what I’m trying to say is...I know how you feel. And while I can’t think positively of Rose, I know what she was to you, and if you ever need to talk...I’ll listen.”

Pearl stared at Jasper with wide eyes for a long moment before she broke out into soft laughter.

“What?” Jasper cringed. 

“I just can’t help but think about where we were until a year ago,” Pearl chuckled. “To think that I would be confiding in Pink Diamond’s  _ Jasper _ of all people!”

“Yeah,” Jasper found herself chuckling as well. “I guess that is pretty funny. The Quartz that Could and the Renegade Pearl actually relating to each other! Wouldn’t that put Homeworld on their heads?”

“They wouldn’t know what to do with it!” Pearl laughed, and in a strange sort of way Jasper felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. Of all the Crystal Gems, she had definitely pegged Pearl as the one Jasper would have never been able to mend ties with, right alongside Lapis Lazuli. But here they were, exchanging old war stories deep into the night. 

In an even stranger way, the exchange at least gave Jasper hope that she could one day have the strength to at least face Lazuli again. 

Pearl retired to her room in the temple once it passed two in the morning and Jasper, surprisingly not feeling the need for sleep (her symptoms had been greatly improving over the last several months; Steven was convinced it had something to do with Sara but Jasper and the others couldn’t be sure) went for a walk around Beach City. It was quiet, peaceful, and for once Jasper didn’t feel any pang of pent up aggression or worry or frustration bogging her mind down. It was nice.

That is...until she caught sight of a very familiar silhouette running towards her.

“Sara?” Jasper furrowed her brow. What was the kid doing up this late? Better yet, why had she run away? She hadn’t done that in over eight months! 

“Jasperrrr!” the girl sobbed as she outstretched her arms, running into Jasper’s as the gem knelt down low enough to catch her. She sobbed incoherently, blubbering on about something Jasper couldn’t quite make out. The quartz held the girl tight for a few minutes, hoping she would calm down, but she only seemed to grow more and more hysterical. Finally, unable to take it, Jasper sat down on the ground and stood Sara up on her lap, holding her shoulders. 

“Sara, hey! Easy now, it’s okay,” Jasper chided, trying to rub the tears and snot off the kid’s face as she hiccupped and sobbed. She ran the sleeve of her pajama shirt over her face, trying to calm down as Jasper asked, “What happened?”

“I-It’s my f-foster parents,” she whimpered, coughing up another sob.

“They’re sending me away!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....I promise there's a good reason for what's happening. Kathy's not a dick I swear. 
> 
> (Also Caped Ace may or may not be betaing from the afterlife I'm not sure how much I ruined their life yet)


	5. Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as it begins to feel like the world is shattering around her, Jasper gets an idea.
> 
> A really terrible idea that she probably won't be able to pull off but it's better than nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd be lying if I said this wasn't the most emotional chapter I've written to date...
> 
> -slides tissue boxes over-
> 
> hold onto your hearts, friends
> 
> (Special thanks to Caped-Ace as always, may he rest in peace betaing from the afterlife. Good news though, Frisbee with Cerberus is a good time)

“Wait, wait,  _ what _ ?” Jasper asked, struggling to keep her voice level for Sara’s sake. “What happened?”

“I don’no!” Sara wailed, hiccuping. “They-they were fighting! And-and Jaspie, David said that Mr. Johnson was coming tomorrow!”

Jasper fought to maintain composure as she held the crying girl on her lap, trying to make sense of it all. This wasn’t the first time the child had mistook a visit from Mr. Johnson as her foster parents giving her up. Maybe this was just another one of those? “Okay, wait, Sara, Mr. Johnson always stops by to visit.”

“B-but Jaspie!” the child blubbered, “Th-they said--they said that-that they couldn’t keep me s-so they had to talk to Mr. Johnson about it!”

Okay...so maybe this was an actual issue. 

Oh no. 

Oh no no no no, this could not be happening. 

“Uh—Sara, I—” the gem found herself at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to do. She...she couldn’t lose her! 

“Nobody I live with ever wants me to stay!” the girl sobbed out, and in that moment Jasper’s life came crashing down and it felt like her own gem had been shattered. 

Jasper let out a cough without realizing that tears had fallen down her cheeks. Sara let out several more sobs and ducked her head, Jasper numbly pulling her into her chest. There had been many nights over the past year that led to Sara breaking out into hysterics, and over the past year Jasper had learned exactly what to say and exactly what to do to help. But with this…

All the quartz could do was cry as she held and rocked Sara back and forth. 

The child’s words echoed her very thoughts from almost two years before. Thoughts that still left her wondering how much she had truly been broken.

Left her wondering if she was worth anything at all. 

It wasn’t about fusion, it never was, the fact was that no matter what she did, no one she ever felt love for or cared about  _ ever  _ stayed.

* * *

 

When Kathy answered the door, it was obvious that she had been crying. Her red eyes and puffy cheeks didn’t hide the tears she had wiped away, and Jasper mentally added to the list of all the reasons she was glad that she was  _ not _ human.

For Kathy’s sake, the gem hoped she wasn’t human either because she was about to clock the woman upside the head as hard as possible. How  _ dare _ she let Sara be taken away from her! 

Or...well, how  _ dare _ she let Sara be taken away from the home she had known for over a year!

“What’s going on?” Jasper asked in a low voice.

“Jasper,” Kathy coughed, feigning a smile, “What are you talking about? Why did Sara run away?”

“She heard you and David talking,” Jasper narrowed her eyes, “Mr. Johnson’s coming tomorrow?”

“Oh-ah,” Kathy huffed a sigh, opening the door a little wider, her eyes watering all over again. “Jasper, could you uh, could you come in for a second? I need to talk to you.”

Jasper ducked under the door frame and covered Sara’s little head with her hand in case it bumped against the wood. She watched as Kathy ran her palms against her jeans (the fact that she hadn’t put on her sleep uniform was astounding), her eyes flitting in several different directions, avoiding eye contact. 

“Sara? Could you, do you mind waiting upstairs? Jasper and I have a lot to talk about,” Kathy’s voice shook uncontrollably and Sara silently did as she was told. Stopping halfway up the stairs as she looked back at the gem with glassy eyes. 

Jasper eyed Sara intently and waited for the sound of her bedroom door shutting before she glared intently at the human, “What the  _ hell _ are you doing to her!?”

“Jasper I—”

“She  _ needs _ you! She  _ needs _ this!”

“It’s out of my hands, Jasper!”

“You made a  _ promise _ !!” Jasper’s voice rose to a level she could not control, and in the back of her mind she felt bad about the way Kathy recoiled, tears leaking out of her eyes.

“David’s divorcing me,” she blurted out, crossing her arms over her chest. Jasper paused, turning back to face the woman. 

“I-I don’t know what that means,” Jasper’s voice was low but the way Kathy recoiled, doubling over as she let out a sob, she realized quickly that there was nothing good about divorce. Jasper had gotten really good at counseling a crying child, but a crying adult? That was out of her field. “Kathy...what happened?” 

“He—” Kathy sobbed, covering her face. Jasper hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder, offering to let her sit down on the couch. She continued to sob uncontrollably, taking in several shaky breaths before she managed, “My sister works with the child services department in the government, she’s the reason Sara came into our lives. Th-they were desperate so I said yes, but...David didn’t want kids, he never did…”

Jasper  _ really _ was not at all equipped to deal with the complexities of human relationships. Still, she did her best to try and comprehend everything that Kathy was saying. 

“He only agreed to it because he thought she would be short term; she needed an intermediate place to stay,” Kathy let out several more sobs, “And he was so sweet with her I thought it was going to be okay—I, Jasper he’s leaving me and the government won’t let her stay with divorcing foster parents!” 

“H-hey, it’s okay,” Jasper coughed, and Kathy glared up at her, causing the gem to bite back her tongue.

They both knew it wasn’t okay. How could it be?

The rest of the night was a blur, apparently David had stepped out to find a hotel so Kathy could have time to pack. 

The bastard wouldn’t even let her keep the house. 

“I’m sorry,” Kathy coughed. “I honestly thought I could help that kid, and I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

“Kathy,” Jasper heaved a defeated sigh. This couldn’t have been happening. “You dragging me into this was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.”

“I’m sorry,” Kathy coughed. They were silent for a long moment.

“What’s going to happen to you?” Jasper dared to ask. 

“I’m moving back with my parents in Jersey, the hell hole that it is,” Kathy groaned. “Spend a couple of months there until I can put a down payment on a condo...You know, Jasper, Sara she—she  _ loves _ you! Do you know that she started calling you Mom, recently?”

“Yeah,” the quartz’s voice cracked. Just this morning she was sitting on the beach with the best thing that had ever happened to her since Pink Diamond. 

“It’s so stupid,” Kathy sobbed, “If you-if you had just been human you could’ve adopted her and she wouldn’t have to leave!”

Quartzes were supposed to be hard. They were supposed to be tough, strong. And here was Jasper, the Ultimate Quartz, breaking out into her own tears. 

“Are they going to take her away tomorrow?” Jasper asked, heaving.

“I don’t know,” Kathy whimpered. “I just know that the caseworker is coming tomorrow to evaluate the situation, I just don’t know.”

“Kathy, could I please—” Jasper’s voice broke, threatening to betray her completely. “Could I just stay with her tonight? You know, to make sure she doesn’t run away again…”

“Yeah,” Kathy nodded her head. “Please, she needs you.”

“Okay,” Jasper pursed her lips, nodding her head. Kathy excused herself to go to bed and Jasper knocked on the door of Sara’s room. She found the girl whimpering on her bed, holding the stuffed rabbit her birth mother had given her. 

“Sara?” Jasper asked as she poked her head in. 

“Why can’t I stay?” she asked. Jasper wordlessly sat down on the ground next to the child’s bed.

“I wish I had an answer for you, Kiddo.”

“Nobody wants me,” she whimpered, burying her face into the rabbit. 

“That’s not true,” Jasper said sitting up on her knees to face the child. She took hold of Sara’s little hand, trying so hard to fight back the tears. “I want you to stay.”

“Then why can’t I just stay with you?” 

Oh great, there were those big wet eyes again. 

“I,” Jasper didn’t know what to say. “I don’t have a house, I—”

Sara looked down at the bunny, drawing into herself. 

And in one really stupid lapse of judgement, Jasper sat up on the bed, not only testing the integrity of the frame but Sara’s trust as she said, “Sara, I promise you...if I find a way to take you in myself, I will. There’s this thing Kathy was telling me about called adoption and—”

“You’d adopt me?” Sara’s eyes grew so wide the gem was afraid they’d pop right out of her skull. 

She had every chance to swallow back her words, take everything back and avoid getting the child’s hopes up (or worse yet, get her own hopes up). But she didn’t. Instead she committed an act of treason worthy of shattering by Yellow Diamond’s standards: she made a promise before she knew she could keep it. 

But dammit, she was going to keep it if it was the last thing she ever did. 

“Yeah,” Jasper said, her voice low. “Yeah. I don’t know if it would be possible but, Sara, you mean everything to me, I—”

“Could I call you...M-Mom…?” Sara asked, testing the word on her tongue as she looked up at Jasper with those watery, chocolate eyes. 

And that just about did her in. 

“Yeah, Kiddo,” Jasper wept. Sara launched herself into the gem’s arms and started sobbing, hugging her neck tightly. 

Ugh...what was she even doing? If she didn’t come up with a way to convince this “child support services” authority that she, a gem from another  _ planet _ , was fit to raise a human child on her own she would be more than screwed. 

She’d be, dare she admit it, heartbroken. 

“Sara, I don’t know how I’m going to make this work,” Jasper said, holding onto the child tightly, “But I’m going to figure it out, I promise.”

“Can I ask you something?” Sara asked, her voice tiny. 

“Anything.”

“Could you...not call me Sara anymore?” she asked. 

Jasper’s eyes dried up real quick and her eyes snapped open. “Yeah, Kiddo, of course. But uh...do you mind if I ask why?”

Sara pulled out of the hug and looked down, knotting her hands in the fabric of her pajama shirt. 

Jasper  _ had _ expected the child to make another quip about hating her name, but...

“I just…” she mumbled. “I don’t...feel like a girl.”

Jasper eyed the kid, who looked about ready to wither under her gaze as she brushed locks of hair away from those beautiful brown eyes. “Okay,” Jasper said. “Then you aren’t a girl.”

“But,” the child sniffled, “I don’t feel like a boy either. I feel like...I feel like I’m neither, but I’m both? And sometimes I feel like a girl, but somedays I feel...I don’t know. Is something wrong with me?”

Jasper felt her brow furrow as she looked down at a kid that she realized she loved more than her own life. 

Love...that was a strange feeling.

She didn’t know how genders worked; Homeworld didn’t have such a construct (they were  _ rocks) _ . However, she couldn’t imagine anything being wrong with wanting to be they and them instead of she and her, or even him and his. 

“I don’t think so,” Jasper finally answered. “I think you’re fine just as you are.”

“Really?” they whimpered. Jasper looked down to see a little pinky sticking straight out from their fist. Chuckling to herself, Jasper intertwined her own with theirs.

“Really,” the gem answered. “But I do need a name to call you. Is there anything you’d like?”

“I dunno,” the child shrugged. They looked down again and those eyes watered uncontrollably once more. “Could...you name me?”

“What?” Jasper recoiled slightly. She didn’t know shit about naming humans! “Why me?”

Their tiny lip quivered and tears leaked out of their eyes, “B-because most kids are named by their m-mommies...”

“Oh no,” Jasper whimpered, losing her composure. Well, this was going to go well. She pulled the child into a hug, mentally asking herself how stupid she could have been for letting things escalate to this point. She didn’t even know if she  _ could  _ take this kid in! 

Even still, as Jasper held them in her arms, she realized that she couldn’t picture her future without them. She  _ loved _ them, she  _ cherished  _ them. She hadn’t...she hadn’t felt that way for anyone since, well since Pink Diamond—

Jasper felt her throat catch slightly and she swallowed hard, carefully forming her words before her voice could betray her: “W-What about Diamond?”

The child stiffened in Jasper’s grasp and looked up at her, their brows furrowed, “You mean like Pink Diamond?”

A smile spread across the gems lips as she brushed that messy hair out of their face. “Yeah,” she said, “like Pink Diamond.”

Diamond formed the tiniest smile on their lips and more tears escaped their eyes. And then a giggle escaped. And then Jasper’s little Diamond was crying in her arms all over again, whimpering, “I wanna be called Diamond!” 

Jasper rocked little Diamond, feeling her own sobs escape her throat. She wanted to be happy, she just…

She really needed to figure out what it was going to take to adopt a child. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY I CAN CALL DIAMOND BY THEIR PREFERRED NAME!! Literally, the hardest thing about the first four chapters was having to use female pronouns and a different name for this kiddo. 
> 
> Also, fun fact, if you go back to previous chapters you might notice that Jasper's narrative avoids using specific pronouns as well as their birth name as much as possible. The beginning she uses them a lot, but over time it disappears. Jasper might not know the first thing about children, but she is at least able to pick up on when lil' Diamond didn't respond to their birth name (and also it felt really weird using the wrong names/pronouns for Diamond so I avoided it when I could lmao)


	6. House of Diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing worth trying is ever easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My rate of updating has slowed. You can thank school starting for that (*shakes fist* curse you sorority recruitment for consuming my life!). But this chapter and the next chapter were originally meant to be one and I decided to split it so thankfully I have Chapter 7 underway already! 
> 
> Thanks again to Cape! I couldn't do this without my amazing beta! 
> 
> (Also, yes, Jasper's soft side show a LOT in this chapter. No, I don't think it's ooc, it's my interpretation of that quartz's soft side and she sorely deserves to let her guard down enough to let it out can I get an amen?)

“Let me get this straight.” The timid man, who called himself Diamond’s caseworker, fidgeted in his chair across from her and Kathy. “You two are asking me if...the... _ gem _ can adopt Sara?”

“Diamond,” they both corrected. (That had been an awkward conversation considering that the kid bounded down the stairs announcing to Kathy that they were Diamond now before Jasper could get to her to explain what had happened. Thankfully, Kathy caught on quickly.)

“Diamond,” Mr. Johnson nodded while wringing his hands together. “Jasper, ma’am, do you have an address? I’m going to need to do a home check to approve that there’s enough space for Diamond. She—”

“They,” the two women interjected.

“They need to have their own bedroom,” Mr. Johnson explained. “And adequate space to grow. And I’ll need to see a tax form so I can look at your annual income and make sure that you have enough to afford for everything Diamond’s going to need: food, an education, clothes…”

“So I need all of this?” Jasper asked. “I can get all of that and I can adopt them?”

“Well, that’s not so easy,” Mr. Johnson said, “There’s an evaluation process. And since this is on the spot, we’ll be able to give you some time to get your home ready for inspection, but...here, I have a packet of information that should have everything you need. It also has a website that you can go to for any questions this doesn’t answer.”

Jasper flipped through some of the pages of the packet, reading words she only barely understood so intently that she bumped her head into the door frame of the temple entrance.

She  _ really _ hated doors. 

“Jasper!” Steven cheered as the quartz finally squeezed herself through the entrance. “Where’ve you been?”

“Long story,” Jasper grunted. 

“What’s in your hand?” Amethyst asked, leaping up to snatch the folder before Jasper could yell at her. 

“Hey!” Jasper yelped. Amethyst ignored her as she flipped through the folder as pages scattered about. “Amethyst!”

“Whaaaaat?” the purple gem groaned, looking up at her as more papers fell out of the folder. “I’m not doing anything!” 

“You’re scattering papers everywhere!” Jasper yelled. “Give that back!” 

Amethyst ignored Jasper and inspected the folder, “What’s...adoption? And why’s Sara’s name written on here?’

“None of your business,” Jasper barked, finally swiping the folder out of Amethyst’s hands. “And it’s Diamond now.”

“What?” Amethyst raised an eyebrow. “Why does she want to go by Diamond?”

“They,” Jasper corrected.  

“Wait,” Steven’s human friend, Connie, interjected, “You’re adopting Sara?”

“Diamond,” Jasper, Amethyst, and Garnet (where did she even come from?) corrected. 

“Diamond,” Connie shook her head, looking very confused. “Jasper, how are you even going to make that happen? They’re human!”

“I—” Jasper started, realizing she didn’t have an answer. “I’m working on it.”

“Actually, Jasper, I think I know someone who can help,” Garnet added. Jasper glanced at the fusion, raising an eyebrow, but instead Garnet just crossed her arms smugly and smiled. Within moments, the quartz soldier heard frantic footsteps pounding against the stairs just before Greg Universe came bursting through the door, eyes wide.

“STEVEN, I’M HERE, WHAT HAPPENED—!” Greg screamed. His eyes immediately locked onto Steven and his expression fell in confusion.

“Dad!” Steven greeted, running up to his father for a hug. 

“Hey, Little Buddy,” Greg greeted numbly. He then looked up at Garnet, extremely confused. “Garnet? What’s going on? I thought you said there was an emergency at the temple.”

“Oh, there is alright,” Garnet answered, immediately jutting a thumb out at Jasper. “Jasper needs your expertise.”

“Oh,” Greg looked at the quartz warily. Jasper felt herself cringe involuntarily.

Ugh, damn Sapphires and their future vision. 

“What’s up?” Jasper gave Greg a nod, folding her arms over herself. 

Greg raised an eyebrow, looking mildly concerned. “Did something happen to Sara?”

“It’s Diamond now,” Jasper corrected.

“Oh!” Greg smiled slightly at that. “So what’s up with Diamond?”

“Jasper’s going to be a mom!” Steven cheered. “She’s going to adopt them!” 

“What?!” Greg yelped, looking from Steven to Jasper and back, “That’s uh...that’s great, Jasper, but do you even know the first thing about raising kids?”

“I know what you and Kathy told me,” Jasper answered. 

“Oh boy,” Greg groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, you’re going to need a house...and a job...I don’t know much about adoption but I can see what I can do. How long do you have to get everything in order?”

“Right now, a month,” Jasper said, trying not to think about how impossible that deadline was, “but Kathy’s trying to convince David to let her keep the house until their divorce papers finalize—whatever that means—which could give me six months.”

“Oh,” Greg’s eyes grew wide. “Jasper...that’s not a lot of time.”

“I know,” Jasper grit her teeth.

“Well,” Greg heaved a sigh, and then pulled the sides of his mouth into a smile. “Nothing worth trying is ever easy!”

 

And so, that was how Jasper quickly descended into the absolute hell of trying to weave her way around the overly convoluted, impossibly difficult, human legal system. All for the tiniest, most fragile human nugget that would probably be better off with literally anyone but her, and at times Jasper sometimes wondered if this was even worth it. 

But, then again, any time Jasper did have her doubts, seeing that little kid run into her arms and hearing that sweet little voice cheer, “Hi Mom!” every time Jasper saw them reminded her that yes, it would most definitely be worth it. 

She just really, truly, aggressively needed it to work out. 

Thanks to Greg, there were several things that turned out to be much easier to secure than Jasper ever imagined. One of which was a house.

Jasper didn’t know squat about finances, or these things called credit scores, or what numbers were “cheaper” versus “expensive”, but according to Greg it would be easiest to purchase a plot of land and build from the ground up on their own. What came as a huge surprise, however, was the fact that Greg was “rich” and could afford to purchase the land and hire some burly looking man called a “contractor” to help and make sure the house itself got built within ample time (Kathy managed to convince David to give her four months). 

The whole process in and of itself was a whirlwind, and confused the absolute hell out of the quartz soldier, but there was one thing that did stick in her mind. 

Greg Universe was an incredibly generous man. 

“Greg, I don’t know how to thank you,” Jasper finally said one day. “As soon as I make enough money to pay you back, I will.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it!” Greg cheered, patting the quartz on the shoulder. “Diamond’s a great kid and you two deserve each other. It’s the least I can do. Besides, I’m filthy rich! This hardly cost anything compared to that boat from two years ago.”

“What boat?” Jasper asked. 

“Uh...the one I meant to rent but then Lapis punched you off of and broke accidentally? I wound up having to buy it after all that,” Greg laughed nervously, shrugging. Jasper felt her stomach flop uncomfortably but she tried to hide it. Evidently she failed, because after a moment a look of utter horror fell over Greg’s face and he shrieked, “Oh! Oh I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up!”

“I-It’s fine,” Jasper swallowed, trying (and failing) not to think about how hard that landing had been. Or...anything else regarding Lapis Lazuli. She decided to distract herself by inspecting the kitchen appliances that had recently been installed. Suddenly, another thought struck her, “Wait, Lapis Lazuli broke your boat!? That’s terrible!”

 

With the house figured out, several other things fell into place rather easily. They made sure to find a place that was within the same, or better, school district for Diamond (and was walking distance—apparently Jasper needed to eventually learn how to “drive a car”, that is if she could even fit in one),  Kathy helped Jasper furnish the house, particularly Diamond’s room, with her old belongings, and taught her how to cook some of Diamond’s favorite recipes, at the expense of a multiple appliances and mixing bowls. 

“Jasper, you can’t—Jasper, no, it’s plastic!” Kathy wheezed as Jasper cracked the third bowl in her attempt to mix ingredients for a birthday cake one evening. 

“I’m trying!” Jasper yelled back, trying hard to keep the plastic together. She only managed to crack it further as cake batter splattered everywhere. “Oh, come on!” 

Kathy sat down on the floor laughing so hard tears leaked out of her eyes. 

She wanted to keep an angry face as she begrudgingly wiped cake batter off herself, and poured the remainder of the cake mix into yet another bowl. Kathy was  _ howling _ , and after a couple glances at her, batter remains from the most recent explosion clinging to her blonde hair, soon Jasper starting chuckling too. Chuckles escalated to laughter, and laughter escalated to a couple of snorts until she too had to sit down she was laughing so hard. 

“Why is this everything here so difficult!?” Jasper wheezed, holding her sides. Kathy responded by letting out another series of cackles. 

“You have batter all over your face!” Kathy cried out. 

“You have it in your hair!” 

Kathy pounded her fist against the floor, doubled over because she was laughing so hard. But suddenly, the two jumped and looked up when they heard Diamond yelp from the entrance of the kitchen. 

“Are you okay?” Diamond shrieked, holding their bunny to their chest, eyes wide. 

“What?” Jasper choked, trying hard to keep a straight face. “Yeah, we’re fine.”

Diamond looked around, their eyes narrowed, “Why is there cake batter everywhere?”

Jasper bit her lip tightly, trying to compose herself so she could explain to Diamond that their mom was an actual failure of a cook and baker, but Kathy sputtered, losing control all over again. That didn’t do much to help Jasper out and she too was losing it. Diamond stared at them in confusion (and maybe a slight case of horror) until they giggled, “You two are funny.”

Jasper couldn’t pull herself together to respond. Tears seeped out of her eyes and she wasn’t sure if it was because she was laughing so hard, or because she hadn’t laughed that hard in her life, and the sensation was beyond compare. She tried to sit up to wipe the tears away, but was blindsided when Diamond launched themselves straight at her in a tackle hug yelling, “Tickle FIIIIIGHT!” as loud as they possibly could. 

In that wonderfully terrible moment, Jasper learned what it meant to be ticklish.

Diamond pawed clumsily at the gem’s sides with their tiny hands, and at first Jasper yelped, completely caught off guard by the way her sides seized up and she flinched away from the kid. She stared down at Diamond with horror, uncertain what had happened for a split second, but somehow Diamond knew exactly what that meant and the quartz had never seen such evil intent hidden behind those big chocolate eyes before. 

Diamond giggled wildly and pawed at Jasper’s sides, causing Jasper to flinch and yelp until she broke out into another, completely involuntary laughter fit that may or may not have been painful (she couldn’t tell).

“Diamond! Diamond stop!” Jasper wheezed. 

“Jasper, you’re ticklish?” Kathy laughed, managing to sit up while Jasper fell backwards again. “Get her, Diamond!”

Diamond shrieked they were laughing so hard, and Jasper was too afraid to hurt the child by trying to restrain them that she was stuck flailing uselessly underneath her own child until they wore themselves out. Thankfully it didn’t take long for those little arms to tire and Jasper was able to pull them into a hug, holding them just tight enough to her chest for her to plant a kiss on the kid’s forehead.

“You stinker,” Jasper teased, allowing a couple of residual chuckles to escape her throat. “Do you want your birthday cake or not?”

Diamond only answered with a series of giggles. Jasper would have laughed but her sides were, surprisingly enough, sore. Kathy, however, coughed up another set of laughs. 

Or were those coughs. 

Wait…

Opening an eye Jasper looked up to see the woman covering her eyes as her shoulders shook. She made another noise, but this time it definitely did not sound like a laugh. 

“Kathy?” Jasper asked, sitting up with Diamond still in her arms. Kathy just shook her head and let out a sob. 

“I’m sorry,” she heaved, pulling herself back together. She held it for a moment before she lost it again and whimpered. “I’m just really going to miss you guys.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that,” Jasper said softly, placing her free hand on the woman’s shoulder. “This is only temporary.”

Kathy nodded her head but broke out into another set of sobs, leaning into Jasper’s shoulder slightly as she covered her face with her hands. Jasper sat there awkwardly, wrapping her arm around her uncomfortably; she never knew what to do when Kathy cried, no matter how many times it happened. She just...she felt really bad for her. 

She deserved so much better.

Diamond, however, was the expert at making anyone feel better. They reached out and patted their hand on Kathy’s head, saying, “It’s okay, Kathy.” 

The woman sniffled, forcing herself to look up at Diamond and smile, “You’re a real sweetheart, you know that, Diamond?”

Diamond merely giggled and said, “I know. You and Mom tell me that all the time!” 

Kathy’s tears turned into a few forced laughs and she soon dried her eyes, heaving a sigh. “Thank you, both of you.”

“It’s going to work out, Kathy,” Jasper offered. “If you need a place to stay when David moves back in, the house will be finished soon.”

“Thank you, but, I need to take some time away from Beach City to get my life back in order,” Kathy admitted, rising to her feet. “But I appreciate it.”

“Well, if you ever do come back, you know where to find us,” Jasper answered, also rising to her feet, playfully bouncing Diamond in her arms as she did so.

“Thank you,” Kathy smiled. “Oh, that reminds me: Jasper, do you have a job yet?”

“What?” Jasper raised her eyebrows. “Oh no, I got caught up in a mess involving a few corrupted gems running loose and had to take care of that, but there are a lot of places hiring so Greg was going to take me out tomorrow to find something.”

Kathy’s smile fell suddenly.

“What?” Jasper pressed. 

“Do you at least have insurance?” Kathy asked, her tone sounding extremely worried. Jasper felt herself cringe involuntarily.

“What’s insurance?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Jasper's about to discover the wonders of the US Healthcare System and I can promise you that it is not going to go well. Or, depending on how you look at it, it's going to be AWESOME.


	7. Fried Diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hole in the government system makes Jasper's adoption mission fall through, and she has some things to say about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....I may have been watching Lilo and Stitch when I wrote this...I wish I was sorry. 
> 
> It is also occurring to me that I may have a strange addiction to writing cute kid OCs. Just. Man characters becoming mentors/older siblings/parents is apparently my jam that I have to include at least ONE FIC in every fandom I traverse through that contains the theme (and if you don't think there aren't more kiddos coming in this epic saga, just you wait mwahahaha~)
> 
> Also, I found a tumblr post that inspired my vision of Jasper's outfit in this fic and I'll link it on my blog!

There was so much about humanity that Jasper never ever would want to, nor would she care to understand. 

But this...this was absolutely  _ ridiculous _ . 

“I cannot believe I’m doing this,” Jasper groaned, following Greg down the boardwalk.

“Hey, don’t worry about it!” the man cheered. “Lots of single parents go job hunting!”

“I’m a quartz soldier,” Jasper snapped, feeling the remainders of her pride dwindle. “I’m not some...restaurant worker.”

“Well, you could always work at my car wash,” Greg offered, throwing a smile.

“Does your car wash offer insurance?” Jasper asked. 

“Uhhhhh,” Greg rubbed the back of his head, laughing nervously. “Sadly...no.”

“Great,” Jasper spat to herself, feeling a cold uncertain feeling settle into her belly. “Well, we've been looking for weeks now and I have less than two days left to find something. You got any more suggestions?”

“I know of one opening for sure down here, I made some phone calls last night.”

“I meant anywhere but here,” Jasper groaned. She didn’t mind eating food, but there was something about serving and getting covered in food that made the thought a lot less appetizing.

Pun not intended. 

“Well, it’s what I always tell Steven: if every porkchop were perfect we wouldn’t have hot dogs,” Greg advised, smiling back at the gem. Jasper raised a brow.

“What do porkchops have to do with hot dogs?” she asked.

“Oh! Well, it’s just a phrase for saying that things don’t always work out exactly how we want them to; all that matters is that you find something that’ll let you keep Diamond, right?” the human explained. Jasper heaved a sigh, glancing down at the ground. Well...he had a point there.

“Alright,” she let out a breath, swallowing her pride. “Who’s hiring?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Greg cheered. "Because after my snooping around last night I found someone who is looking for extra help and willing to hire you on the spot!” 

“Really?” Jasper felt a smile tug on the corners of her mouth. That was a relief. Well...to an extent, she had to admit that this news was almost too good to be true. “I don’t feel like that’s a good recruitment tactic though.”

“Well, job markets are pretty fickle!” Greg chuckled. Jasper failed to see how anything about “job markets” and “insurance” and “the healthcare system” were funny, but for some reason Jasper had been met with the most nervous laughter from everyone she had talked to that day. 

She had a bad feeling about this. 

Her feeling got worse when Greg stopped in front of the fry shop and the “Fryman” stepped outside, waving at them.

“Greg! How are you?” Fryman greeted. “Where’s this friend of yours you wanted me to meet?” 

“Fryman, this is Jasper,” Greg introduced. Jasper watched as Fryman’s eyes lit up slightly in recognition. Well...this could have been worse. She knew Fryman and he was a friendly human. 

A red-faced friendly human. 

A red-faced friendly human that surprisingly lost the ability to speak normally when Jasper was around. 

A red-faced friendly human that surprisingly lost the ability to speak normally when Jasper was around, and had just taken his hat off when they made eye contact. 

_ Oh _ . 

“Uh...hi again,” Jasper grunted, waving feebly. “Greg said you’re hiring?”

“O-oh, why yes of course!” Fryman blushed. “But...what is a beautiful—er, what is a crystal gem doing applying to a job at a fry shop?”

“I’m not a crystal gem,” Jasper spat. 

Greg and Fryman both gave the quartz soldier a very confused look. 

“Then why do you have a star now?” Greg asked, raising a brow. Jasper glanced down at her uniform. The color scheme had never changed, but she couldn’t deny that the maroon top had distinctly changed after her most recent poof. The neckline had been raised up to her neck for one, but the most striking difference that caught even her off guard was the bright yellow star that now sat in the middle of her chest. 

She still couldn’t consider herself a crystal gem, but she had to admit there was some level of comfort in associating with them to a degree. At least compared to the cold feeling she had during her alignment with Yellow Diamond, she felt closer to home on earth with the crystal gems. 

And Diamond loved and looked up to them, so Jasper didn’t mind wearing a star so much anymore. 

“Anyway,” Jasper barked. “I need a job so I can take in Diamond.”

Fryman responded with a slightly confused expression.

“Diamond’s the little one that has been living in foster care here the past year and a half,” Greg chimed in. “Jasper’s going to adopt them if she can get a job. You’re...really the only place hiring at this point and we’ve been all over Beach City the last two weeks...and Jasper’s deadline is the day after tomorrow.”

“Oh!” Fryman’s face lit up. “Well, of course! The family business is a demanding job, but you seem like the hardworking type.” 

“I-wait, seriously?” Jasper jumped at the statement. This had to be too good to be true! “Thank you, thank you so much!” 

“Yeah, not a problem! Come on in and I’ll show you around,” Fryman offered. Relief rolled down the quartz’s shoulders and it felt like she could finally see the light at the end of this uphill tunnel. 

And then she ran into the door jam. 

And then she knocked down part of the door frame. 

And then she left a very Jasper-shaped hole in the middle of the wall. 

“Oh my stars, I am so sorry!” the gem yelped, tripping over a cord on the ground and knocking into the frier. “Oh  _ clods _ !”

“Oh-oh hey don’t worry about it,” Fryman smiled warily. “The place is small, I understand.”

“Is this where the phrase ‘it’ll come out of your paycheck’ comes in?” Jasper winced, staring at the damage she had already caused. Maybe it really was too good to be true. 

“Nah, I’ll chalk this one up to clumsiness and first day jitters, it won’t take much to patch this up,” Fryman insisted. “Come on, I’ll show you how it’s done.”

Jasper spent the rest of the day slaving over various tools and going from an ungodly cold freezer to a disgustingly warm fryer. Upon learning how fries were made she decided that maybe she shouldn’t let Diamond eat fry bits so much. They were not healthy for a growing human at all! 

Her bad hand was surprisingly sore by the end of the day, and she’d be lying if she said that she didn’t break anything else throughout the day, but the Fryman’s younger child, Petie, helped her hide the smaller accidents. 

“So...I don’t want to pry, but when can I expect to get paid?” Jasper asked. “I just need to know for the last bit of paperwork I need to fill out.”

“Oh! Actually, since my family has been the only ones to work here, I don’t have a payroll system set up like most businesses,” Fryman explained. “But I could probably get everything taken care of and set you up to receive paychecks every other week.”

“Great, thank you,” Jasper nodded. “And, what insurance can I put on the form?”

“Insurance?” Fryman froze, raising his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean...I mean...Kathy said I needed to have...health coverage? For Diamond? And that employers offered it.”

“Oh,” Fryman seemed to know what she was talking about better than she did, thankfully. 

But for some reason his red face turned painfully white. 

“Um, Jasper,” Fryman took his hat off again, “I don’t know how to tell you this but, my business isn’t large enough to offer health insurance.”

Jasper dropped the tongs she had been cleaning. 

“What?” She snarled. “If you don’t offer insurance--! I thought humans  _ needed _ that!” 

“We do! We do!” Fryman defended. “I actually just buy a family plan independently. Since I’m a small business owner I am able to afford a different kind of plan for my family.”

Everything that was coming out of the human’s mouth was beyond Jasper’s scope of understanding and it took everything she had to refrain from destroying everything within her vicinity. Not because she wanted to destroy it, she just did not fit and had been feeling  _ extremely _ claustrophobic the entire day already. 

And this freaking insurance debacle was spinning her to the end of her rope. 

“Aaargh! What do I even do!? I need  _ something _ by the end of tomorrow!” She shouted, holding her hands to her head. “I don’t understand anything about this!” 

“Well, here, maybe I can help,” Fryman offered. He sat the gem down and pulled out a computer, opening up to a web page. “I can show you the plan I have for my family.”

Fryman flew through pages and pages of information that went clear over Jasper’s head, pointing to these “insurance” plans that she could afford. At first, it seemed like the human’s idea could work…

But Jasper needed to apply for these plans. 

And the ones that she could afford wouldn’t cover Diamond. 

And it would be at least a month before any of them went into action, assuming everything went through properly (and with Jasper being a gem, there was no way that would be the case).

“Fryman…” Jasper stared at the computer screen feeling numb. “I don’t think any of these will work.”

Fryman opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, as if he were trying to come up with something reassuring to say but quickly realizing that there was nothing he could say. 

This really had been to good to be true. 

Everything had been too good to be true. 

No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, no matter how hard she tried to make things right, no one she loved ever stuck around. 

Worse yet, after everything, she’d only wind up failing Diamond after all. 

Fryman started sputtering suggestions for her, things she could try within the next twenty four hours, places that might hire and offer full coverage, offering to have an opening for her in case nothing else worked out because at the very least she could save up for something. The gem didn’t even bother to pretend to listen. She couldn’t. 

She felt shattered. 

Jasper didn’t remember getting from the shop to the temple, for the next thing she knew she was smashing her head into anything she could find, with all the strength she could muster. 

“Jasper! Please calm down, you’re going to make your corruption worse! It’s already spreading!” Steven pleaded. He and Amethyst had been trailing her for over an hour as she screamed incoherently and nearly caught them in the crossfire of her rage. 

“HOW CAN I BE CALM!?” Jasper roared. “They’re going to take Diamond away from me!!”

“I’m sure something will work out! There must be something we haven’t tried yet!” Steven feigned a smile. Jasper scowled at him and fought back the urge to chuck the half-gem into the ocean.

“We. Have tried.  _ EVERYTHING!” _ Jasper screamed out, summoning her helmet to crush one of the boulders he and Amethyst had been sitting on. 

“Dude! Jasper, chill out!” Amethyst barked as the two smaller gems lept off. 

Jasper let out another growl and spun around for something else to smash, freezing in place when she caught sight of Kathy standing a few feet behind her. 

With Diamond in her arms. 

Crap. 

“Can’t you see I’m busy?” Jasper snapped. Kathy narrowed her eyes, looking very unamused as she set Diamond down. Diamond looked horribly confused and stood by their foster mother’s side. 

“Pearl called,” Kathy explained. “She said you were throwing a tantrum because the insurance thing fell through.”

“Am not!” 

“Are too,” Amethyst muttered from behind.

“Look,” Kathy sighed, placing her hands on her hips. “The situation is bad, I get it, but if Mr. Johnson or  _ anyone _ from the adoption agency finds out that...that  _ this _ is how you handle your temper then you will lose any chance that you still have left.”

Jasper felt herself stiffen, the words dripped off of Kathy’s tongue like acid. Rationally, the thought of having lost her temper in front of Diamond, and endangering their chance of having an actual home with the gem they now called ‘Mom’, stung worse than the corruption now spreading up her arm. Emotionally, (namely because she hated and did not know how to process any emotion) she was just angry. 

“I’m a  _ gem _ , Kathy,” Jasper spat. “This is how gems cope!”

“Well, you’re trying to adopt a human so you better come up with something else quickly!” Kathy retorted. 

“ _ How _ !?” the quartz snapped back. “I’ve been coming up with ‘something else’ for the last four months! And nothing is working! And just when something falls into place, your stupid so-called government turns around and tells me I’m not good enough to give my own kid health insurance?!”

“That’s just the way it works here,” Kathy heaved a sigh. “It sucks, I know, and you tried your best, but sometimes the world doesn’t reward effort like it should.”

“Well it should!” Jasper raged, turning away from the woman. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Diamond jump and draw themselves behind Kathy. 

Great, now her own little Diamond was afraid of her. What else was new?

“Okay, okay, Jasper, first of all, we aren’t going to fix anything until we figure out how to get your temper under control,” Kathy offered, taking a few daring steps forward to place a hand on the gem’s arm. “Let’s start there.”

“How?” Jasper grunted, giving in. The look of relief that washed over Kathy’s face and the gentleness of her touch did help ease some tension off of her shoulders. But she couldn’t rely on a  _ human _ to be her stress relief, especially one that would be leaving soon. 

Oh come  _ on _ , why did that thought have to occur to her now too?

“Oh! Oh! I have an idea!” Steven offered. “Why don’t you try running? Kiki goes for runs every morning because she says it helps relax her!” 

“I can barely sit in a chair without breaking it here, Steven, how will I not bust a hole through the boardwalk if I ran on a regular basis?” Jasper retorted. She hated seeing the half-gem’s expression fall, but she was tired of clinging onto options that really didn’t seem reasonable. 

“Wait, that might actually be a good idea,” Amethyst said. “Jasper, running might not be an option now, but what if you tried strength training? You said that on homeworld you trained all the time!”

“I was a soldier,” Jasper added. “And a warrior. I literally fought for the entertainment of other gems when I wasn’t on missions, I had to train.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to train to fight, just to keep loose!” Amethyst suggested. 

“Plus, strength training in a way could help you get a better grasp of how to adapt your own strength to the context of Earth.” Kathy added. “It’s worth a try.”

Jasper looked around, really uncertain that anything about what they were saying would work. “What would I even do? It’s not like Earth has the same equipment or sophistication as Homeworld did.”

“You could try push-ups?” Steven suggested. He then got down on the ground and balanced his weight on his hands and feet in a plank position, demonstrating how to do a push-up. 

“I know what push-ups are, Steven,” Jasper groaned, mimicking the boy as she too got down on the ground. Having nothing else to lose, she numbly did a set of ten before looking up at the others and announcing, “This is doing nothing for me. It’s not even challenging.”

“Oh! Oh! I want to help!” Diamond chimed in suddenly. They then ran up to Jasper and climbed onto her back, sitting on her shoulder blades with their feet dangling off either side of the gem. 

“What, am I a pony now?” Jasper quipped, managing a smile. Above her, she heard a tiny giggle.

“You’re super strong so push-ups aren’t hard, right?” Diamond explained. “But if I sit on you, then it’s heavier. And if it’s heavier, then push-ups are harder. And if push-ups are harder, then you can strength train. and if you strength train, then you’ll be happy! Right, Mom?”

Jasper had long stopped denying that Diamond was the cutest thing in the world and that they had her wrapped around their little pinky, but in that moment, the quartz soldier had to fight to keep her composure and reveal just how much that kid had become her ultimate weakness. 

She’d do anything for that kid. 

And currently, she was epically failing in that department.

Jasper started furiously doing push-ups, bouncing little Diamond slightly with her speed. 

“Sooo, how are you feeling?” Steven asked. 

“Angry.”

“Why?”

“Because no matter what I do, I always,  _ always _ fail!” Jasper yelled. 

“It’s not your fault, Jasper,” Kathy offered. “You’ve done everything right. It’s the system that’s screwed up and—”

“Then why can’t someone just go in and, oh I don’t know,  _ fix _ the system without trying to make money off of it!?” Jasper demanded. “I spend all my time slaving away to get this right, and that right, and these things perfect, meanwhile some fat  _ slug _ that supposedly has jurisdiction over my right to be a parent—and a damn good one at that—can take Diamond away from me for the sole reason that I don’t have money coming out of my gem for him to just  _ bathe _ in!? What the  _ hell  _ is wrong this planet!?”

“Capitalism,” Kathy rolled her eyes. “Our healthcare system is a business more than anything.”

“Well  _ screw _ capitalism!” Jasper roared, performing push-ups at a quicker rate. “What right do you filthy  _ humans _ have to take rights away from people because we aren’t filthy rich!? I have a house, I have a job for the most part, I don’t need to eat so I have  _ plenty  _ of income to take care of Diamond, but I  _ don’t _ have money to spend thousands of dollars just so my kid can get their temperature checked by a prissy know-it-all in a lab coat!” 

“Well, doctors do a little more than that, they work very hard to—”

“I know they work hard! But these corporate morons, that don’t know the first thing of my child’s health status, don’t get the right to deny me what I need to make sure my Diamond is safe and healthy!” 

Above her, Diamond was giggling wildly, but Jasper paid no mind and kept ranting, she was so angry. Beside her, she heard Amethyst mumble, “Steven, please tell me you’re recording this.”

“Oh, I’ve been recording,” Steven said. Jasper had no clue what that meant so she just grit her teeth and snarled. 

She didn’t know how long she ranted, but it was well after sunset before she finally wore herself out. Apparently, some of what flew out of her mouth was really amusing and left Kathy and Amethyst both sitting on their backsides laughing, while Steven intently kept going through his phone. Either way she didn’t care, and she found herself eventually walking around the beach alone as the rest of the city slept on. 

She would have to get used to this loneliness again. 

The thought struck Jasper so suddenly that she found herself caught off guard by the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She didn’t even notice the tiny footsteps that approached her. 

“Mom?” Diamond’s voice was small, but tore through the silence with a power Jasper had never known before. The quartz spun around, trying to wipe her face dry, facing the child. 

“D-Diamond?” Jasper said. “You should be in bed, Kathy must be worried sick about you.”

Diamond shrugged and looked down, “She said I could come find you if I wanted. David came back and they got into a fight.”

“Is she okay?” Jasper asked. It was unheard of for Kathy to let Diamond wander by themselves, especially at night. And if David was back…

“She’s okay,” Diamond answered in a low voice. “David is sleeping in the basement tonight. He didn’t bother her too much after their fight.”

“I’m so sorry, Kiddo,” Jasper found herself saying, trying hard to fight back tears.

“Why aren’t you at home?” Diamond asked, looking up at her with those big brown eyes. 

“Home?”

“The house.”

“Well,” Jasper heaved a sigh, sitting down on the ground and holding her arms out for Diamond to sit on her lap. “That house isn’t really a home to me unless you’re in it.”

Diamond wriggled in Jasper’s lap for a moment before they tugged on her hand and climbed up to settle neatly in the gem’s forearm. Jasper melted at the sight and cradled the child close to her chest, resting her chin on their head, the two staring out at the open ocean before them. 

“Will Mr. Johnson not let me stay with you because the government won’t let you get insurance?” Diamond asked, their voice small and thick. 

“I don’t know,” Jasper heaved a sigh. “I understand this whole thing about as well as you do.”

“Maybe, when Mr. Johnson comes tomorrow, he’ll see how much you love me and take care of me and he’ll let me stay,” Diamond thought aloud. Jasper closed her eyes, not bothering to fight back tears any more. 

“Diamond, I love you so much,” She said, her voice catching. She hugged them just a little tighter and felt a small pinky finger wrap around her own. 

“Pinky promise?” Diamond asked. Jasper looked down at them, her brow furrowed. Diamond looked up with watery eyes, crying as they asked, “Pinky promise that you’ll love me for forever?”

“Forever, Kiddo,” Jasper said, placing a kiss on their forehead. 

“If I was a gem, would they let me stay?” the child asked suddenly. 

“Probably,” Jasper said. “Though, if you were a gem, you wouldn’t need parents to look out for you. You would’ve come out of the ground knowing exactly what to do and what you were made for.”

“Really?” Diamond giggled. “What kind of gem would I be?”

“That’s a silly question,” Jasper chuckled. “You’d be a diamond of course.”

“I thought diamonds were the rarest ones though,” Diamond thought aloud. 

“Yeah, well, you’re one of a kind, sweetheart.”

Diamond let out a giggle at that and then asked, “Where would my gem be?”

“What?”

“You told me that gems go in places because of who someone is,” Diamond elaborated. “Like-like Pearl’s really thoughtful so her gem is on her head. And Steven has a lot of feelings so he has a tummy gem. And you have a nose gem because you have a strong in-in…?”

“Instinct,” Jasper chuckled, tapping Diamond gently on the nose. “And I don’t know...I’d have to think about it.”

Diamond hummed and nestled deeper into the crook of Jasper’s arm while the quartz thought about her kid’s theoretical gem placement. They were a very thoughtful little one, but they also had a very big heart, but they were also still young and it was harder to see children’s true personalities manifest while they were growing up, especially kids like Diamond who had a rough start.

Her train of thought broke for a moment when that sweet little voice hummed, “Kathy says you’re a really good singer.”

“W-what?” Jasper croaked, when did Kathy…?

“The night you guys made my birthday cake,” Diamond yawned, “she said that she heard you singing to yourself and that you have a really pretty voice.”

“Did she now?” Jasper felt herself smiling. And blushing. 

“Could you sing to me?” Diamond asked suddenly, looking up at Jasper with so much hope in those eyes.

“I don’t know that many songs,” Jasper admitted. 

“That’s okay,” Diamond grinned. Jasper pursed her lips together and sighed, one familiar lullaby coming to mind. 

“Okay,” Jasper drew a breath. “I know one, are you ready?”

Diamond giggled and nodded as Jasper drew inward to place another kiss on their forehead.

“And by the way, you’re gem would definitely be on your forehead,” Jasper grinned. She was met with another series of giggles and coaxing to just sing already. She took another breath and sang a tune Pink Diamond once taught her. 

“ _ If I could begin to be _

_ Half of what you think of me  _

_ I could do about anything _

_ I could even learn how to love _

_ When I see the way you act _

_ Wondering when I’m coming back _

_ I could do about anything _

_ I could even learn how to love  _

_ Like you…” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....I can promise you this is going to work out Jasper. I wouldn't be writing a fic about you being a mom if it didn't! I'm not that terrible of a monster.


	8. Now You Have a Friend in the Diamond Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Help Angry Cheetoh Puff Mom adopt her kid!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the part where I figure out who lives in my hometown with the chapter title's reference lmaooooo. Good grief that radio commercial is forever engrained in my memory and I almost set fire to everything when the location of the jewelry store in question changed. 
> 
> Also, super duper brownie points to whoever picks up on the extremely subtle StarKid reference. 
> 
> Lastly, feel free to come hang out with me on Tumblr! My blog is majestically-fangirling and full of opm and su garbage and fanrigling. 
> 
> Now YOU have a friend in the Diamond business. NOW off of highway 40 and Olive Blvd. Or ONLINE at SHANE CO DOT COM~
> 
> (I had to I'm sorry)

When Jasper awoke the next morning, Diamond was still fast asleep curled up against her chest. The gem shifted, moving the arm she had been using as a pillow out from underneath her head and sat up, careful not to wake the child. She balanced Diamond against her chest and forearm, staring down at them, trying to memorize their facial features as best as she could before she inevitably had to say goodbye. 

Clods almighty, this couldn’t have been happening. She had been so close! 

It wasn’t long before Diamond finally stirred as well, their eyes fluttering open and turning into Jasper even more. They let out a soft groan, which then quickly escalated into a soft whimper. 

“Diamond, you okay?” Jasper asked, brushing some tufts of hair away from their face. Diamond let out another whine. 

“I don’t want to go,” they whimpered. 

Jasper wanted to tell them that it would be okay. She wanted to tell them how she would always love them no matter what, how they were her diamond—her perfect, beautiful, wonderful little diamond. But she couldn’t. Her voice caught in her throat and all she could do was lift Diamond into a hug, rocking them gently in a failed attempt to keep her tears at bay. 

She didn’t know how long they sat there holding onto each other, but at some point in the morning Jasper heard the slamming noise of the temple door opening and closing as Steven’s foot falls bounced against wooden steps and he cheered, “JAASPEEEEEEER!!!”

The quartz jumped and turned backwards to find Steven sprinting towards her with his phone in his hand. She rose to her feet and walked forward to meet the boy halfway with Diamond still in her arms. He looked absolutely elated. 

“Steven?” Jasper asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I THINK I FIXED YOUR PROBLEM!” Steven screamed at the top of his lungs. Diamond jumped and covered their ears, causing Steven to clamp a hand over his mouth. “Oh! Sorry Diamond!”

“It’s okay,” Diamond giggled.

“Okay, so what did you do?” Jasper prodded. She had enough problems that she couldn’t guess which he was referring to, nor did she have a single clue of how he could fix  _ any  _ of them.

“I think I got you a job!” Steven cheered. Before Jasper could ask how  _ that _ was possible, he took hold of her free hand and cheered, “Follow me into the temple I need to show you something!” 

Steven led Jasper and Diamond into the temple, and before she knew it, the quartz was watching a video of her raging about the healthcare system while doing push-ups with Diamond on her back. 

And the video was entitled, “Angry Cheetoh Puff Mom Learns about the Healthcare System.”

Jasper stared at the three minute video in horror, bracing herself on her knees. How did—When did— _ Why _ would Steven post her ranting for all of the internet to see!? How did this help!? 

“Steven,” Jasper snapped. “What the  _ hell  _ is a Cheetoh Puff?”

Steven looked down at the ground and blushed, “The title was Amethyst’s idea, I’m sorry.”

And Jasper nearly threw Amethyst out a window when the shorter gem brought over a back of orange tubules that were apparently edible. 

“Steven!” Jasper yelled, throwing the bag now in her hand at the ground with as much force as possible. “How many people have seen this?”

“That’s just what I wanted to show you!” Steven cheered with stars in his eyes, “You went viral over night!” 

Before Jasper could ask what that even meant, the half-gem pointed to a number underneath the right hand corner of the video:

“3,000,000 views”.

Jasper nearly choked. 

First of all, there was no way in the universe that three million people actually saw the video overnight, that definitely did not seem real. 

Secondly: “ _ How  _ does this fix my problem?!” Jasper shrieked. “You just made it worse!” 

“See, you say that,” Steven grinned, pulling his phone back out, “but I made you a TubeTube account to upload this, and look what email I got this morning.”

Steven unlocked his phone and handed it to Jasper, who clumsily tried to scroll through a large block of text.

She didn’t have the patience to read this. 

“Steven, just tell me what this says,” the gem spat, handing the small metal block back. 

“It’s an email from TubeTube’s headquarters!” Steven cheered. When Jasper’s reaction was merely a blank, confused expression, he elaborated, “Well, I mentioned your situation about Diamond in the description of the video, and they wrote saying that because your video went viral, they’d like you to make another one and donate $1 for every view you get.”

“$1 isn’t a lot though,” Jasper noted. 

“No, but if you get another three million views, that’s three million dollars!” Steven explained. “They also said that after the first two thousand views they will buy the insurance plan you need to cover Diamond!” 

Jasper felt her jaw hit the floor.

Now  _ this _ could not be happening. 

Nope, this was definitely a dream. It had to be. There was no way this was real and this was exactly why she hated sleeping because this nonsense always happened to screw around with her sense of reality. 

A few minutes after the news started sinking in, Connie burst through the door shouting, “Jasper! You’re viral!”

“Yeah I know,” she replied numbly.

“How did this happen?” Connie sputtered. She set her bag and sword down so she could amply pace around everyone in a nervous panic, rambling, “It has three million views! How does one video get that many views overnight? That’s impossible! Also what if the caseworker saw it? What if he doesn’t like it, then he’ll take Diamond away for sure! Steven, did you upload this? You should have asked Jasper for permission first, what if you—”

“Connie, wait.” Jasper put a hand out to stop the kid from pacing so much. She stared at Steven, who merely beamed with pride over his deed, and the faintest glimmer of hope fluttered in her chest. 

This could actually work. 

“Steven actually—” Jasper breathed, “he may have just given me my chance to keep Diamond after all.”

“You mean I can stay?” Diamond cheered, bouncing excitedly at the gem’s feet. 

“I don’t know yet, Kiddo,” Jasper admitted. “But if this...Tube thing is willing to pay me for making more videos...what even do I have to do?”

“The email says, ‘we really loved your incorporation of feminist critiques, your dry sense of humor, your energy, and the unique incorporation of relieving stress by working out with your child’,” Steven read aloud. “So basically I think you just need to get mad at something again, rant about it, and workout with Diamond in the shot.”

“Well,” Jasper placed her hands on her hips and thought on that for a moment, “I do have a lot to be mad about.”

“That’s the spirit!” Steven cheered. “I’ll go get my camera!” 

Apparently, Steven thought it would be “cute” to have Jasper lifting Diamond in a bicep curl like they were a free weight. They giggled endlessly and the sweet noise was making it hard for Jasper to keep a straight face, much less be mad about something. Jasper spent over an hour mulling over something—anything to get mad at with Steven, Connie, and the Crystal Gems giving her suggestions, but nothing really struck her as something worth wasting her energy to rant about.

She also didn’t...she didn’t like being angry honestly. 

“Steven, I don’t know if this is going to work,” Jasper admitted. “I know I get angry a lot, but I don’t really like being that way.”

Steven had been filming for at least an hour continuously, waiting for some golden moment, but he put the camera down and sighed heavily. 

“I know, Jasper,” he said, “but if you just found one thing, then you’d make enough money to be able to stay with Diamond forever, and then you two could be happy, and you’d be TubeTube famous and make videos however you wanted to support them.”

“Yeah, I know that,” Jasper rolled her head back in frustration, bouncing Diamond a little as she lifted them. “But I don’t know enough about human customs, rules, or-or  _ anything _ , really. And honestly, in a lot of ways, Earth is kind of a bit better than Homeworld. Slightly. Barely.”

“Hmmm,” Pearl looked down in deep thought, kneeling in a crouched position as she tapped her fingers against her knees. “What if we tried it from a different angle and started with what’s most important to you?”

Jasper shifted her gaze, looking around before she shrugged, “Diamond’s important to me.”

“Okay, that’s a great start,” Steven grinned. “What else?”

Jasper readjusted Diamond so they sat on her forearm as she held them up. They giggled and almost instinctively began playing with the ends of her hair. Jasper couldn’t help but smile as she watched the kid tune everyone out and added, “Diamond’s...safety is important to me.”

“Ooookay,” Steven said, a little hesitantly. “What’s something unrelated to Diamond that you care about?”

Jasper looked up at Steven, not sure what he meant. 

“I’m confused,” Jasper felt her eyebrows knit together as she spoke.

“Just...list everything that you have ever cared about,” Steven said. His smile was looking a little forced. 

“Diamond.”

“And?”

The quartz soldier pursed her lips together, unsure how to answer that question. She cared about Steven and Connie and, to a lesser extent, the Crystal Gems, but they were also very self sufficient.

“Ame...thyst…?” Jasper hesitated on the answer, her voice wavering. She didn’t really know what they were looking for and did not like being put on the spot. 

Pearl smacked her hand to her face and muttered, “This is going to go well, I see.”

“Actually, wait,” Connie interjected. “I have an idea. Diamond!”

“Yeah!” Diamond chirped, wriggling in Jasper’s arms until she finally set them down. They trotted up to Connie with a small grin. 

“Diamond, you’re nonbinary, right?” Connie asked. 

Diamond stared blankly up at Connie and stated, “I don’t know what that is.”

“It’s…” Connie shifted her gaze in thought, “Basically a nonbinary person is someone who identifies neither as a boy or a girl, but they’re somewhere within the gender spectrum between masculinity and femininity.”

The blank look in Diamond’s eyes prompted Jasper to start to say that Connie needed to use a simpler word choice that would make sense to a nine-year-old, but a lightbulb flickered behind their eyes and Diamond gasped. 

“Ohhh!” They beamed. “Yeah, I think that’s me!”

“I definitely have an idea,” Connie puffed her chest out and ran up to Jasper. The quartz knelt down as far as she could to be eye level with the little girl as she asked, “Do you know what homophobia is?”

“No,” Jasper grunted. Connie took a deep breath and began to tell her. 

And boy, did she tell her. 

Jasper liked Connie. She was a sweet, even-tempered girl that had been the one to introduce Jasper to books, and helped her learn how to read English so that she could read to Diamond on occasion. Connie also liked to train with Jasper when Pearl was unavailable, and the quartz had really grown to appreciate the girl’s grit and determination.

Jasper did not like anything that was coming out of Connie’s mouth. 

Connie explained homophobia, transphobia, acephobia...every other  _ phobia _ that could possibly exist. 

Jasper had been told by Connie once that the definition of a phobia for humans was an irrational fear of something. This didn’t sound like an irrational fear at all. It just sounded like irrational hatred. 

Unnecessary hatred. 

Unnecessary cruelty. 

Unnecessary cruelty that  _ her  _ Diamond could become subjected to just because they were…

Clods, Jasper didn’t even know. What, just because they existed and were breathing and weren’t a girl, but still wore dresses when they wanted? 

Jasper had been angry before—she spent most of her life in a constant state of pent-up aggression. But she had never known fury like this before.

This time, Jasper couldn’t keep herself from smashing her fist to the ground with all of her strength. The sliver of rationality left pushed her to look up at Steven and scream, “EDIT THAT OUT OF THE VIDEO LATER!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Steven squeaked, jutting his thumb upward. Jasper stood up straight and let out a scream before she was even capable of making any coherent words. 

“SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT,” she roared. “Just because I can’t fill a bathtub up with wads of cash for these  _ fat pigs  _ that run your government system to take a steaming shit in, I can’t be a Mom to Diamond. But these-these  _ ingrates _ can not only raise their children, but  _ throw them out on the street _ because they wore makeup!? Or changed the pronouns they prefer!? Or, I dunno, brought home someone they’d want to fuse with for the rest of their life!? THOSE PEOPLE CAN BE PARENTS AND I CAN’T!?”

Jasper didn’t quite know what to do with herself, she was so angry. But she didn’t want to break anything. But she was angry. So she resorted to pacing in circles. 

“I mean, sure, fusion is really complicated and I don’t get it, and I don’t get how two gems can be fused together for that long willingly, but if Diamond came home one day with another human and said, ‘hey mom! I love this person a lot, I’m going to fuse with them!’ I’d say, ‘Okay great! Just make sure they don’t chain you up under the ocean, and talk to Garnet because she understands relationships better than I do, but I’ll support you!’ because I want them to be  _ happy _ .

“And ALSO—what twisted authority decided you can dictate someone else’s _gender_?! On homeworld, we don’t even have genders! We’re _rocks_! And by human standards, apparently we’re all _gay rocks_! And guess what? We’re all better than you! You stupid, stupid _organic_ piles of jelly! You can’t even handle your internal planetary affairs correctly! You can’t even get to your _moon_! And you’re saying that being gay is going to ruin your life? Well, this gay-ass-rock has been to six different _galaxies_ , and led troops to colonize over _seven hundred_ planets in the last five thousand years! So tell me I’m inferior, tell me my child is inferior! Tell me they don’t have the same rights as everyone else or the right to be their mom! I dare you!

“What even is  _ wrong _ with this planet?! Because here’s the thing: if any of you so much as lay a  _ hand _ on my Diamond, and try to tell them that they are wrong for being who they are, I will crawl all the way into this planet’s core and reawaken the cluster myself!”

Jasper kept ranting, she couldn’t stop she was so angry. She was beyond angry, actually she was—

She was scared. 

Terrified, actually. 

What if Diamond was taken away after all? What if their next foster family forced Diamond to go by their birth name and pretend to be a girl? What if...what if their next family hurt them?

What if Jasper couldn’t protect them after all?

“Steven,” Amethyst said in a low voice, “I think we took it a little too far for this video.”

“I think so too,” Steven muttered. Jasper let out a frustrated growl, trying to mask her fear. 

“Jasper, I am so sorry, I didn’t—I shouldn’t have—” Connie started, but Garnet cut her off.

“No,” the perma-fusion said. “She needed to know. This is the reality of what Diamond could potentially face as they grow up. We can hope for the best, but the earth is not without its faults.” 

“Would you all just, SHUT UP!?” Jasper snapped back, heaving. Her eye caught a glimpse of the nervous expression on Diamond’s face and suddenly the angry mask melted away, nearly causing her to lose her composure. “Diamond,” Jasper choked, trying to catch her breath, “I’m sorry, I—”

She couldn’t finish. Jasper placed her hands on her hips and turned her head away, focusing as much of her attention as possible on the ocean. She couldn’t take it anymore. 

A small hand touched the quartz’s knee and Jasper heard Diamond’s sweet little voice say, “Mom.”

Taking in a shaky breath, Jasper managed to look down at the little kid staring intently up at her with a fierce determination. They knit their eyebrows together and stated, “I’m going to be okay.”

It was so hard not to lose her composure completely right then and there. Fighting back tears Jasper asked, “H-How do you even know that?”

Diamond merely giggled and outstretched their arms to be picked up as they answered, “Because I have you to protect me, silly!” 

And out the window went Jasper’s pride and composure in one fowl swoop. She stooped down to pick the kid up and held them close in her arms, crying and whispering how much she loved Diamond into their ear. She didn’t quite know what to expect, but she was pleasantly surprised that the Crystal Gems just let her be for a moment as she recollected herself. 

“Oh my stars,” Jasper muttered, looking up finally. Diamond smiled and haphazardly wiped the tears off of the gem’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, guys.”

“It’s okay,” Connie insisted. “And I’m sorry I made you that upset.”

“Don’t worry about it, Connie,” Jasper insisted. She wiped the few stains Diamond had missed out of her eyes and dared to ask, “I don’t suppose any of that garbage is salvageable? I don’t think I have the energy to get that angry again.”

She also noted, but didn’t want to admit, that the throbbing pain in her arm and shoulder was an indicator that she was dangerously close to reverting if she got worked up again. It was taking all of her focus to think of anything but the painful spasms. She moved Diamond’s weight entirely to her good arm and tried to discretely extend her bad one, as if there was something she could do to ease the pain. 

“Actually,” Steven said, a small smile returning to his cheeks as he looked at a screen on his camera and pressed a couple of buttons, “With editing, I think we actually have something really good!”

Jasper cringed, not sure whether or not to believe Steven, “Seriously?”

“Yeah!” Steven said. “I don’t have a lot of time to make it look nice, but there’s a lot of great stuff on here from you lifting Diamond and being cute about how much you care about them, to some of the really funny comments you made before you got really worked up, to a very loving mother-child moment at the end that I think will have audiences hooked!” 

Jasper appreciated Steven, she really did. He was a sweet kid with the best of intentions, but sometimes his intentions were too good and his people-pleasing tendencies kept her from truly believing the boy at times. But still, she went along with it and sat eagerly on the couch with Diamond on her lap while Steven and Connie slapped the video together at lightning speed. She hadn’t checked the time when any of this began, she assumed it had been very early in the morning when Steven came bounding down the stairs and Pearl had announced that it was lunch time and served the three kids sandwiches just as Steven uploaded the video. 

Connie had just finished eating and was washing her plate when Steven suddenly jumped and announced, “The video just hit three hundred views!”

“What?” Pearl squawked, “That can’t be right, it’s been fifteen minutes.”

“No, he’s right alright,” Garnet chimed, looking over Steven’s shoulders. “And people seem to like this one even better.”

Jasper held onto Diamond tightly, unable to breathe over the next hour as the video hit four hundred, then six hundred, then one thousand.

Then two thousand.

At around two thousand, two hundred and twenty four, Steven opened his phone and let out a scream. 

“JASPER LOOK!” He cheered, tears filling his starry eyes. Jasper took the phone from his waving hand and read the block of text intently. 

This time, it was Kathy’s turn to come bursting through the door yelling while Jasper interpreted an email, with Mr. Johnson not far behind. 

“JASPER!” She screamed. “ _ Where  _ have you been!? I’ve been looking for you all morning!” 

“Kathy,” Jasper breathed. “I went viral.”

“Yeah I know!” Kathy snarled, marching up to the gem with a fury Jasper hadn’t thought possible of the human woman. She looked absolutely livid. “And you never brought Diamond home! What have you been doing!?”

Jasper looked from Kathy to Mr. Johnson and back, a small smile gracing her lips. She held Steven’s phone up so Kathy could read the text and said, “I have health insurance now.”

Kathy let out a series of disgruntled almost-words before she registered what was in front of her. 

“Wait a minute,” she snapped, swiping the phone to read the email a little closer. She paced slightly, her eyes moving back and forth as she read what was on the screen. “TubeTube...paid you to make that video?”

“Not the first one,” Steven explained. “She hit so many views last night that they told her they would pay her to make a second one. And she did! And if she keeps making more, they’ll keep paying her. Although...we probably should stay away from the angry videos for a while and take some creative license to try different things.”

“What he said,” Jasper intoned. She looked nervously at Mr. Johnson, not sure what his reaction would be to the development. “Look, Mr. Johnson, I know...I know I come off as kind of angry in the video—both of them—but...listen, I don’t know if you saw it, but—”

“Oh, I saw it,” Mr. Johnson said, crossing his arms. Kathy handed him the phone to read the email himself and he scanned it for a moment before saying, “But from what I could see, and from what I have seen, any anger you’ve expressed has come out of a place of love and has been kept under control. Anyone with an eye can see that you truly are Diamond’s mom, and you two deserve each other. But I can’t break the rules and I can’t sign off on any papers until I see that everything the state requires is in place.”

Jasper sucked in a breath, waiting for the small man to utter a more devastating blow than the news that Pink Diamond had been shattered. 

Instead, Mr. Johnson smiled and said, “And it looks like everything is. Congratulations, Jasper. There will be a court hearing in two days and then Diamond can officially call you their mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -shoots confetti canon- 
> 
> CONGRATULATIONS JASPER! YOU'RE A MAMA NOW! 
> 
> Buckle in friends, ultimate Mom goals are about to ensue. There may or may not be a few more little ones on the way. But not for a while, though. Diamond's gotta spend some quality time with their mama hehehehehehe~ 
> 
> (because I'm ridiculously excited, I'll give you a few hints: Onyx and seeeeequeeeeeeeels)
> 
> ((I'm a monster and need to be stopped))


	9. Diamond's Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My stars this is probably the cutest chapter I've ever written.

There were only a few things that surprised the quartz soldier anymore. One of those things was the never-ending kindness that the humans of Beach City were capable of. 

Greg and Kathy were each miracles in their own regard, that went without question. But in the days before the court hearing, people that Jasper barely had any interaction with were flooding through the house with house-warming gifts, ideas for another “feminist rant video” as one Mr. Smiley had dubbed them, and everything Diamond could ever possibly want or need for the next year (or until their next growth spurt, whichever came first). 

Jasper was pretty sure she had at least three frozen pizzas courtesy of Kofi as apparent thanks for helping Nanefua Pizza reach a few items off the top shelf on her last shopping trip. She still didn’t know why that was worthy of three entire pizzas, the woman was short and couldn’t reach the cake mix, but Kathy had insisted she just say “Wow, thanks” and take the pizza. 

“Wow, you really are stocked up for the month,” Kathy mused as she closed the fridge door. She was still a week away from starting her new job in Jersey and reeeeeally didn’t want to have to move there until she absolutely had to (even Steven had disdain for Jersey, what was so wrong with that place anyway?) so she had spent several days staying at the house helping Jasper acclimate to a more human lifestyle and sign papers and convince her that, no, using “Quartz” as a family name for hers and Diamond’s legal documents wouldn’t be redundant, nor would it be an oxymoron. Apparently. 

“Yeah, unless Amethyst comes over for dinner every night and helps Diamond and me eat all of this I don’t know how we’ll get through this food,” Jasper mused, fumbling around the kitchen for some cooking pans. It was a spaghetti and movie night, per Diamond’s request. Thankfully, Jasper and Kathy were able to convince them that spaghetti needed to be eaten at the dinner table to avoid a mess. 

Behind her, Jasper heard Kathy chuckle to herself. 

“What?” Jasper grinned. Kathy laughed harder. 

“You’re so domestic,” she giggled. “I never pictured a gem being capable of that.”

“Shut up,” Jasper groaned, fighting down a smile as she shoved the human gently. “I’ve fought in enough wars, I earned a few centuries worth of a break, don’t you think?”

“Oh, I would say so,” Kathy chuckled. She crossed her arms and watched Jasper for a moment as the quartz impatiently stirred the not-quite-boiling water before she added, “Although, I have no idea how you’re going to get along cooking without my help.”

“Well, I don’t either, to be frank,” Jasper grunted, glaring at the pool of bubbles at the bottom of the pot. Ugh, why did everything on Earth have to be such a process? She cleared her throat as the woman touched her arm to gently push her out of the way and take the spatula out of her hand.

Kathy grinned and said, “Spatulas don’t cook spaghetti very well. Also, water doesn’t boil if you keep stirring it, you’ll push all the heat out.”

Jasper lifted her hands and made a face, “Well, okay, I’ll let the spaghetti expert take over then.”

Kathy shook her head as she stepped in front of the stove. “You’re worrying me, Jasper. Keep this up and I might have to stay.”

“You say that like it’d be a bad thing.” Jasper quirked a smile. The comment flowed out of her mouth so easily that she hadn’t even realized the implications as she said it. The gem jumped, feeling her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. “I-I mean, you’re always welcome to visit. And stay. If you want. You don’t have to—uh.”

Kathy let out a cackle. “You know I would stay if I could,” she said. “Perhaps when I save up some money I’ll come back.”

Jasper hummed in response, biting down the urge to add that with the check she had received in the mail for her last two videos and a third one in production, Kathy didn’t really  _ need _ to get a job and save money…

...but that was extremely presumptuous of Jasper and she knew full well that Kathy wanted to get out of Beach City for a while, so she held her tongue. 

It would just be hard without, dare she say it, her best friend. 

They cooked in silence and Jasper went up to Diamond’s room to retrieve the child for dinner. She found them working a math problem at their desk, pink tongue sticking out with focus and a doll propped up to keep them company. Jasper stood at the doorway, watching Diamond for a moment, just taking in the sight before her. 

She did it. She really truly did it. She could finally call herself the mother of her perfect little Diamond.

“Hey kiddo,” Jasper finally said. Her heart swelled at the way that sweet little angel looked up with those big brown eyes, strawberry blonde hair bouncing as they looked up and cheeks reddening as they smiled wide. “How goes the homework?”

“I’m almost done!” they chirped.

“That’s my Diamond,” Jasper chuckled. She took a few steps into the room and up to the desk to place a kiss on Diamond’s forehead. “Come down stairs, dinner’s ready.”

“Can I finish this math problem first?” they asked. 

“Of course you can,” Jasper grinned. She waited for them for a few minutes while they wrote out basic calculations on their worksheet, scribbled down a number in the answer box, and slammed the pencil down on the table with a grin. They hopped out of their chair and bounded down the stairs before Jasper could say anything. 

The gem shook her head, unable to contain her smile. She had never known joy like this before. 

Diamond rattled on endlessly about their day, talking about the science experiment they did in class, how the boys let them in on a kickball game during recess, how they got straight A’s for the first trimester. They moved to the living room to watch movies, but Diamond was wired with excitement over the approaching court date and ended up running up and down the stairs, grabbing blankets upon blankets. Kathy and Jasper found themselves paying more attention to the spectacle over the actual movie. 

“I think Diamond’s running around more tonight than they have in the past year and a half,” Kathy whispered, laughing in amusement. 

Jasper chuckled and leaned into Kathy to add, “You’d think I fed them a bucket of sugar with that kind of energy.”

Kathy chuckled, leaning against Jasper’s shoulder, and the two tried and failed to contain their amusement while Diamond ran around. Eventually, they tired out and climbed up onto the couch, on Kathy’s lap, then crawled onto Jasper’s lap and settled down. 

“You doing alright there, Kiddo?” Jasper grinned. 

“I’m tired,” Diamond announced. 

“Oh, well, yeah you just spent the last hour running around,” Jasper tugged gently on the messy strands of Diamond’s hair. 

“I was making a blanket fort!” Diamond whined. 

“What’s a blanket fort?” Jasper raised an eyebrow. Diamond puffed their cheeks out and clambered off the gem’s lap, throwing their hands out to gesture to the mound of blankets now in front of the TV. 

“A blanket fort!” They announced. 

“Diamond, you need to prop up the top of the fort with some chairs if your mom is going to fit into that,” Kathy said. Jasper struggled following what she meant until the woman rose to her feet and brought some chairs from the dining room, then helped Diamond drape the blankets over the chairs until this supposed fort looked more like a tent. 

“What are you two doing?” Jasper asked. 

The two humans turned back to her and stated, “Blanket fort,” in unison as if that answered all of her questions. 

“Moooom,” Diamond whined, “just come in the fort and I’ll show you!” 

They took hold of Jasper’s hand and tugged gently until Jasper finally got onto the floor on her knees and followed them into this...blanket fort. 

The inside of the fort wasn’t too special other than it was lined with pillows galore, lit by the flashlight on Kathy’s phone, and caused Diamond’s giggles to escalate in volume tenfold. 

“Welcome to the blanket fort,” Kathy greeted, tossing Jasper a stray blanket from a pile of blankets deemed unworthy of making the fort itself. 

“What exactly is the purpose of this blanket fort?” Jasper asked as she struggled to settle in the small space. Stars, there were so many pillows. When did they buy this many? 

(It was probably Greg’s fault, honestly. That man went nuts in the linens store, and threw more into the shopping cart than Jasper could sort through.)

“Cuddling!” Diamond cheered, throwing a smaller pillow into the air. Jasper looked from Diamond to Kathy, who then shrugged and settled onto her back, wriggling next to Jasper and Diamond. Jasper grunted, trying to lie comfortably on her back in such a small space. She would have been better on her side, but Diamond decided to fall fast asleep in the crook of her arm, so on her back it was. She heard Kathy settle next to her with a sigh and the two stared up at the top of the blanket fort with Diamond snoozing between them in silence. 

“I think they finally wore themselves out,” Jasper whispered. Kathy sputtered out a laugh.

“Hey, who can blame them?” Kathy asked. “They’re getting adopted tomorrow.”

Jasper chuckled, feeling a strange sense of melancholy settle over her. 

“I couldn’t have done this without you, Kathy,” Jasper said in a low voice. Beside her, the woman fell silent. 

“You so could have,” Kathy protested. “I’ve never met anyone more caring, or passionate or—”

“You didn’t know the old Jasper,” the gem said in a low voice. “I was-I was terrible. I hurt people, I forced someone to fuse with me, I—”

“Is this about Malachite?” Kathy asked gently. Her voice was barely above a whisper. Jasper turned her head to look at Kathy. The woman’s gaze stared intently up at the ceiling. “I...overheard you telling Diamond that story. And Garnet may have filled in some of the blanks.”

Jasper heaved a sigh, laughing at the irony. Of  _ course _ Garnet would have said something. 

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Kathy muttered quickly.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Jasper assured. “I wasn’t a good person back then. Sometimes I don’t think I’m much better.”

“You’re an amazing person, don’t even start,” Kathy pressed. “And you aren’t completely at fault for what happened with Malachite. Sure, you’re the one who initiated that fusion, but you’re not the one who forced the fusion to stay together. Plus, you’re past that now, you’re safe, you’ve grown and you’re moving on. That’s what matters now.”

Jasper let out a grunt and looked down at Diamond. Not for the first time, a sick and uneasy feeling settled into the pit of the quartz’s stomach. Was she even fit to be a good parent to them? It wasn’t like she was worth that much.

“Jasper,” Kathy turned onto her side to face the gem fully. “You’re an amazing friend, an incredible mom, and the kindest gem I’ve ever met. Your past isn’t what matters, what matters is that you’re here now and you love this kid with everything you have. You’ve saved their life and you saved mine.”

Jasper stared at Kathy for a long moment, her eyes subconsciously blinking several times as she tried to process. “What? What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.”

“You were there for me,” Kathy said, averting her gaze. “You’ve been a friend to me and a shoulder to cry on and, I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I couldn’t have gotten back on my feet without you and Diamond. Never forget that, okay?”

Kathy’s eyes were a deep blue and they sparkled like the surface of the ocean. There was a time when Jasper thought she wouldn’t be able to even think about the ocean without feeling cold chains binding her, but now…

Now she just felt like she was home. 

A smile quirked Kathy’s lips and the woman chuckled, “Are...are you blushing?”

“What?” Jasper cringed in confusion, but suddenly the orange hue that danced along the corners of her vision caught her attention. Kathy’s face was illuminated and the only thing that kept Jasper from jumping altogether was the vague awareness that Diamond was sound asleep in her arms. Still, Jasper sat up quickly, covering her hand over her gem. 

It was glowing.

_ Why  _ was it glowing? 

“Uh,” Jasper coughed. She removed her hand and replaced it a couple of times, gauging the intensity of the light. 

It shouldn’t be glowing.

Gems only glowed when they were about to…

But gems couldn’t—not with humans!

But Steven could. 

Oh clods, this couldn’t be happening. 

“Uh,” Jasper grunted again, staring at Kathy with wide eyes. The human stared back at her, her eyebrows knitting together in mild concern. 

“Jasper, are you okay?” she asked, reaching a hand out. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“You aren’t—wait, don’t—” Jasper flinched as Kathy placed a hand on her shoulder. She held her breath for a terrifying moment until she realized that nothing was going to happen and she relaxed again. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” the woman chuckled. She then tapped Jasper on the gem with the tip of her finger and teased, “I had no idea gems could glow like that.”

“I—they do sometimes,” Jasper admitted begrudgingly.

“Is that how you blush?” Kathy asked.

Jasper looked around the blanket fort, down at the still sleeping Diamond, and back at Kathy. That wasn’t...really...well, gems  _ did _ blush like humans but… “Yeah. Yeah that is.”

Thankfully, Kathy believed her and suggested they went to bed before she cleared the blankets off the fort and retreated to the guest room. Jasper carried Diamond up the stairs into their bedroom, the kid not even stirring until Jasper gently set them down onto the bed. 

Brown eyes fluttered open and and they moaned. 

“Go back to sleep,” Jasper whispered, tucking the child in. “We have a big day tomorrow.”

“Do I have to go to school tomorrow?” they mumbled. 

“Yes,” the gem chuckled. “We’re going to get up early in the morning, and then once the adoption is all taken care of, we’ll all three go out to breakfast before Kathy has to leave, and then I’m going to drop you off at school for the afternoon, okay?”

“Okay,” Diamond yawned sleepily. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Kiddo,” Jasper hummed. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss on the child’s forehead. “Goodnight, My Diamond.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sniff* 
> 
> that moment when you get attached to your character but it's time for them to gracefully bow out of the story. KATHY DON'T LEAVE ME~
> 
> It's fine. I'm fine. 
> 
> On another note, come hang out with me on tumblr at majestically-fangirling!


	10. Shine Bright Like a Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life with Diamond was, in every sense of the word, perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol originally this chapter was a wopping 14 pages so I split it in two for your guys' sanity~ 
> 
> Also Jasper is such a cute mom I can't contain my heart anymoooooore, but you guys already knew that! 
> 
> Next chapter, since it's already written and beta'd *salutes Cape* will be up in a little bit!

Jasper had not been prepared for how lonely the days following Kathy’s departure would be. At first she had this vague feeling that she would see her after work, or after a couple of days, but when the certainty that she was not coming back settled in, the afternoons while Diamond was at school were...difficult to say the least. 

Some days it was easy to busy herself. There were plenty of corrupted gems to bubble, unbubble, and rehabilitate. But on days when there was nothing to catch or bubble, or she wasn’t in the mental state to work with corrupted gems, or the corrupted gems were particularly unruly, she found herself walking the boardwalk trying  _ very hard _ not to think of how much easier dinner would be to make if Kathy was around, nor did she think of how much she missed Diamond and sat on edge worrying and hoping that they were okay at school. The days when she had to film a rant video for her Tubetube channel flew by the quickest. 

Inevitably, no matter how bored, annoyed, or downright miserable Jasper was, it was all worth it when the clock struck 3:30 and she could see that puff of orange hair that barely cleared the wall lining the entrance to school bouncing wildly before they rounded the corner. 

Amethyst was beginning to think Jasper needed another hobby. 

Jasper was beginning to think that was a good idea. 

“What even is there to do here?” Jasper asked. “Get another job?”

Amethyst sputtered out a cackle. “Yeah you could get a job working for the Lovemaaaan!”

“Amethyst!” Jasper spat back. “Don’t be like that. And his name was Fryman.”

“Oh, so you got a thing for french fries?” out of the corner of her eyes, Jasper could see Amethyst’s eyebrows waggling. 

“No, Aunt Amethyst,” Diamond hummed before Jasper could spit-fire an insult back, “It’s like you said, Mom has a type.”

The choking noise that came out of Jasper’s throat vaguely mimicked that which Amethyst made. 

“What,” Jasper croaked.

“ _ Diamond! _ ” Amethyst hissed. “I told you to keep it  _ down _ !”

Diamond merely glanced up at their aunt with a placid face and shrugged before returning to their homework, legs swinging slightly. 

“You said Mom liked the dainty type, though I don’t really know what that means,” they elaborated, not even bothering to look up from the paper on the table in front of them.

“ _ What _ ?’ Jasper spat again, shooting a glare at Amethyst. “I do not have a type!”

Amethyst shifted her gaze from Diamond to Jasper and back, shrinking slightly. “Well...you kind of do.”

“Oh really?” Jasper growled, standing over her sister, “Give one example.”

“Well,” Amethyst gulped loudly, “First there was L--”

“Mom!” Diamond’s voice escalated to a shriek, breaking the two gems’ focus. Jasper swiveled her head to find Diamond now standing on their chair, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. 

“Yes?” Jasper raised a brow in confusion.

“Let’s go outside and play before dinner!” Diamond announced before promptly hopping out of their chair and running out the front door. The quartz soldier stood in a slightly confused daze for a moment, shooting Amethyst a glance. 

The runt, in return, let out a nervous laugh and said, “Yeaaaah! That’s a great idea! Come on, Jasper!”

She too ran outside and it wasn’t until the front door slammed shut that Jasper finally processed the swift change in direction and she jumped, calling back, “Not until you finish your homework!” 

Jasper...wished she could say that evenings with Amethyst were usually less chaotic, but they weren’t. The responsible parent in her (read: the parents at the PTA meeting she was drug to prior to Kathy’s departure who were stupidly judgemental) wished this was not the case, but deep down Jasper didn’t know what she would have done without Aunt Amethyst constantly pestering her, and taking Diamond out for ice cream and fry bits, and warping them to places that Jasper did not feel the kid was old enough to run around at just yet. 

At the very least, Amethyst and the other Crystal Gems were a huge help in allowing Jasper to settle into a rhythm while Diamond was away at school, and it wasn’t long before the two developed a system living together as mother and child. Jasper had taken to enjoying sleeping in the evenings quite a bit, and thanks to Steven’s suggestion of getting a cell phone, the quartz was able to use it’s alarm clock feature to alert her when it was time to wake Diamond. 

However, Diamond was definitely a better alarm clock than any phone could ever be. 

She never slept too deeply; the first time she went into a full sleep cycle Jasper started dreaming. And dreams were weird, and Jasper still couldn’t shake that image of Rose Quartz’s face superimposed on Pink Diamond’s body with pizza coming out of her mouth. While it was a slight relief to hear that Pearl had experienced something very similar the first time she slept, Jasper tried not to let herself sleep too deeply anymore. 

That all being said, regardless of how soundly she  _ was _ sleeping, Jasper could always faintly register the small footfalls that crept into her room each morning. The quartz opened one eye and groaned, burying her face deeper into her pillow—she was a stomach sleeper—as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She felt Diamond tug on the blankets as they climbed up onto the bed with a bounce. 

“Mooom,” Diamond chided, pressing some of their weight onto Jasper’s back. “It’s time to get up.”

Jasper groaned into her pillow. She was fully awake by this point (she usually was) but she couldn’t go the morning without teasing the kid at least a little bit. 

“Mooooom!” Diamond whined again, shaking Jasper slightly. 

Unable to hide her chuckles, the quartz rolled onto her back, scooping up her kid in the process and setting them down on her stomach so she could get a better look at those cute brown eyes hidden underneath a mound of bedhead. 

“‘Sup?” Jasper greeted, pushing bangs out of Diamond’s face. “Isn’t the mom supposed to be the one waking her kid up in the morning?”

Diamond giggled, leaning back slightly. Jasper instinctively bent her knees so they could recline against her thighs without falling backwards. “Maybe,” they grinned.

“Uh-huh.” Jasper fought to keep a serious face as she reached over to look at her phone. The two had a full hour before her alarm was even due to go off. “So what brings you to waking me up so early?”

“We’re always up this early!” Diamond pointed out, crossing their arms. 

“Yeah, because you wake me up,” Jasper retorted, poking their nose. 

“Well, yeah,” Diamond leaned forward, belly-flopping onto the gem’s chest. “Because when I wake up I want to hang out with my mom.”

“Aww,” Jasper chuckled, pulling the kid into a hug. “What did I do to get so lucky?”

Diamond responded with another set of giggles and the two remained in bed for a few more minutes before someone’s little stomach started growling. 

Jasper had seen many sitcoms with Kathy, Steven, and Greg, and they had all shown mornings with kids as stressful, and a fight just to get children out the door and on the school bus. But the house was walking distance from Diamond’s school, and with Diamond as an early-riser as is the mornings contradicted everything that television had depicted. Mornings with Diamond were typically slow, relaxed, and by far Jasper’s favorite part of the day. 

“Is your bag packed?” Jasper asked as Diamond shoveled the last bit of egg into their mouth. 

They nodded their head, swallowed, and slid the plate forward, asking, “Can I have some more?”

“I’m all out of eggs, but how about an apple and peanut butter?” Jasper suggested, opening the fridge. Diamond’s appetite had increased ten-fold lately, and it had taken a lot of reassurance from Greg that this was normal during a growth spurt. Thank the stars Diamond wasn’t a picky eater because Jasper had been doing a lot of reading on proper nutrition for growing children, and how difficult it should have been to get Diamond to eat from all the necessary food groups. 

Jasper sliced the apple into pieces and layered peanut butter over each slice, passing it to Diamond. She crossed her arms and watched as her child ate what was placed in front of them, and Jasper had to admit Diamond made parenting way too easy. They went to bed early, got up early, ate their fruits and vegetables, always worked on their homework right after school before playing with Steven or Connie or Aunt Amethyst outside, and Jasper rarely ever had to nudge them to do that. Not only that, but their teachers had nothing but praise for them. They were curious, attentive, a good friend and always willing to help out their classmates. Jasper had lost count of how many times Diamond had brought a classmate home to stay the night because their mom was having a baby, or someone in the family was sick, or they simply had a bad day (with parental permission on both ends, of course). 

In every sense of the word, in Jasper’s eyes, Diamond was perfect. 

After breakfast Diamond ran upstairs to change, brush their hair and their teeth, and put their shoes on before they came back down the stairs to find Jasper. When it was time, they walked to school, hand in hand, and Jasper dropped them off. 

While Diamond was at school, how Jasper spent the day from there usually varied, although that soon developed a pattern as well. On Mondays and Tuesdays, Jasper was usually with the corrupted gems and Steven. Some of them had been showing a great deal of improvement as of late. Well, according to Steven. Apparently, the corrupted quartzes were making great headway, though Jasper was having a harder time telling the difference. The quartzes just didn’t trust her, and she was pretty sure they would’ve been better off with Steven alone. 

“I think you’re selling yourself short, Jasper,” Steven insisted. Jasper growled in protest, trying to calm one of the quartzes down. She let out her own growl and started chomping on Jasper’s arm like a play-toy, and it took all of Jasper’s self-control to  _ gently _ push the gem off of her. 

“Yeah, because this is definitely working,” Jasper rolled her eyes. “Steven, I’m better off working with the other centipeetles or the smaller gems. These guys just don’t trust me.”

“Really? Because I think Blue likes you,” Steven placed his hands on his hips looking awfully smug. 

Jasper glanced back down at Blue to find her now biting her ankle, humming a low growl. 

“Hey,” Jasper grunted, “No biting.”

Blue let out another growl and bit down a little harder.

“Oi!” Jasper flinched. “Get off!”

“Use the spray bottle!” Steven cheered. Jasper shot Steven a glare, staring at the bottle filled with water in her free hand. 

“I’m not spraying her with water!” Jasper shouted back. 

Eventually she did have to use the spray bottle and Blue relented. Jasper did have to admit, however, that the quartzes were starting to show their personalities a bit more. Blue was a stubborn asshole, and “Brownie”, as Steven called the other one, was a complete show-off. There was a third one that was striped pink that was a cuddler, and a fourth one that Steven called “Rainbow Fish” loved water so the spray bottle was essentially useless.

(Watching them sometimes led Jasper to wonder how bad she had been during the times she couldn’t remember...especially considering the fact that Steven knew how well spray bottles  _ usually _ worked…)

Regardless, they all used Jasper as a chew toy and she couldn’t really argue with that decision. 

Wednesdays usually were spent making videos and working out. Diamond had after-school activities of sorts on Wednesdays and Thursdays so Jasper spent the afternoons in the cloud arena observing Amethyst, Connie, and Steven train with Pearl. Her grace and skill with the sword astounded Jasper to no end, and she couldn’t deny that she admired the grit and determination it must have taken for Pearl to reach this level. 

Jasper  _ also _ noticed that anytime she offered up a piece of encouragement or advice, she won a pearl-point from the pearl pouch. 

The quartz had to admit that she greatly appreciated the alliteration (and also was pleased that she was learning more about human vocabulary and literature after helping Diamond with their homework). And the stickers were...well, they were awesome!

Sixty-two pearl points over the span of three weeks later, Pearl had officially found herself a new assistant.

Thursdays before the cloud arena, and Fridays Jasper found herself around town talking with or helping out the people of Beach City. She didn’t know how but Kathy had been right, her time spent strength training in these videos certainly did a number in helping Jasper gauge how much grip strength to apply, or how heavy to make her foot falls, and it wasn’t long before the quartz had also taken up morning runs around the beach after dropping Diamond off at school.

Regardless of the day, Jasper would eagerly await for Diamond to come out of the school building when the bell rang to signal the end of the day and the two would head home, hand in hand, and Jasper could only smile to herself as Diamond rattled on about how their day went.

The weekends were spent either running errands or at the temple. As Diamond’s growth spurt kicked in, Jasper had found herself shopping for clothes a lot more frequently. Usually trips to retail stores involved Jasper following Diamond with a shopping cart and letting them pick out whatever they wanted (she didn’t know the first thing about human clothes). She would guide them to the dressing room to make sure the pants and shirts, and the occasional skirt and dress, fit properly before they checked out and headed to the grocery store.

For two years, Jasper wondered if she was dreaming. Her little Diamond was just so perfect, and she constantly found herself wondering how she even deserved to be the mother of such an amazing kid. 


	11. Your Diamond's Growing Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't ever mess with Jasper or her child, ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, the other half of the chapter that was super long! 
> 
> Also, fair warning, Diamond kind of starts puberty in this chapter. Nothing graphic is depicted, poor bean just has a rough go and needs Mommy to pamper them for a bit. 
> 
> (Also, my apologies to Greg Universe...he didn't deserve to be caught in the middle of any of what's about to transpire he just wants to run his car wash and spend time with his son that's all he ever wants.)

The first bump in the road as a mom happened a few days after Diamond’s tenth birthday. Greg came over periodically to check in and see how Jasper and Diamond were doing. It wasn’t uncommon for him to invite the quartz to card night with other Beach City parents, although Jasper usually couldn’t accept the offer unless Diamond was at a friend’s house for a sleepover...or if Connie or Pearl offered to babysit, one of the two.

On this day, however, Greg looked very nervous when he stepped through the door.

“Hi Greg,” Jasper greeted, opening the door a little wider so the middle-aged man could step in. “How are you?”

“Oh, erm, fine,” Greg squeaked. Beads of sweat pooled along his temple. “Jasper, I uh, I have some questions to ask you.”

“Oh? What about?” Jasper raised a brow as she led the short man to the living room.

“About Diamond,” Greg answered, taking a seat on the couch beside the gem. “Um, so have you talked to Kathy recently?”

“We text,” Jasper shrugged. “She’s trying to get me on social media.”

“Have you talked to her about Diamond lately?” Greg’s voice raised in pitch again.

“Oh yeah,” Jasper nodded. “I was telling her about their growth spurt the other day.”

“Okay,” Greg nodded his head and puffed out his cheeks. “Um...has Diamond attended any, uh... _ health _ classes lately?”

“I think they have one at the end of this semester, why?” Jasper raised a brow.

“Um, so Kathy called me,” Greg huffed, leaning forward, “and she was worried that you don’t know a whole lot about what happens when a young adolescent...develops.”

“They get taller?” Jasper asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Well, there’s that, but uh, Jasper, there’s something you need to know about how kids—especially young women and girls—develop.”

“But Diamond’s not a girl,” Jasper shook her head.

“No, but they have a female body,” Greg coughed.

“Does that matter?” Jasper snapped back. As much as Diamond was loved by their teachers, she had been growing weary as of late about how consistently their fourth grade teacher misgendered them; even worse was that Diamond had been growing reluctant to correct the woman. The last thing she expected was to hear Greg refer to Diamond as having a “female body” and, frankly, she was about to throw him across the ocean for that.

“Well, in terms of biology it does,” Greg explained. He lifted his hands in defense and urged Jasper to sit back down when she leapt up to her feet to come to her child’s defense. “Hey hey, now just hear me out, Jasper. I know Diamond’s nonbinary and I respect that, and support them one hundred percent—but there are things that come with female anatomy that you both need to know about!”

Jasper took a step back from Greg and pursed her lips. “...Did Kathy tell you that?”

“Well, I rehearsed that last bit several times before coming over here, but yes.” Greg rubbed the back of his neck. “And Vidalia too. And Nanefue. And Pearl…and Garnet... ”

Jasper eyed Greg for a long moment before she sat back down next to him and crossed her arms. “I’m listening.”

Greg cleared his throat and reached into his back pocket, pulling out several pamphlets, and handed them to her. “Okay, so I’m no expert on this so everything I’m saying either came from these or what Kathy and Vidalia told me; they just told me to tell you for some reason.”

“Okay,” Jasper droned, glancing down at the ridiculously pink text on the pamphlets about  _ Your Daughter’s Growing Body. _

Uggggh, she may have just discovered the next week’s topic for her TubeTube video.

Greg took a deep breath and started explaining something called ‘Puberty’, and what happened to individuals who had two X Chromosomes (Greg and Jasper found that terminology to fit a lot better, but it took a lot of backtracking and a lesson on genetics to get that point across to the quartz) around Diamond’s age.

At first the only thing that really seemed to register for Jasper was that she might need to take Diamond to the retail store again and get them “fitted” for a “bra size” for “support” as they grew and developed into their teen years. But then Greg rattled on nervously about something involving this “monthly cycle” that he didn’t fully understand either, but several red flags stood up in the front of Jasper’s mind and she found herself pulling out her cell phone and texted both Kathy and Vidalia.

The responses that she received made a  _ lot _ more sense but they also raised even more panicked questions than Greg had answers for. Jasper didn’t fully understand what any of this meant or how it would affect Diamond, but she had the basics straightened out and she knew she needed to talk to Diamond  _ immediately _ .

“DIAMOND!” Jasper barked. Within two minutes Diamond was tripping down the stairs in the panic, their eyes wide.

“I DIDN’T WARP TO SEE BLUE AND BROWNIE WITH AUNT AMY, PEARL IS LYING TO YOU!” Diamond screamed back as they ran into the living room.

Jasper paused and leaned back in confusion. “What?”

“What?” Diamond asked back, color draining from their cheeks.

“Diamond,” Jasper lowered her brow in suspicion.

“Yeah?” Diamond smiled nervously.

“What did you do?” Jasper pressed. Diamond shrugged, feigning innocence. Jasper looked the kid up and down several times looking for scars or bite marks but they appeared uninjured, and also Jasper had no clue how Amethyst managed to sneak that kid to the warp pad. They were also a terrible liar, but there were more important matters to deal with so Jasper forced the image of Diamond running around with corrupted quartzes and no parental supervision out of her mind for the time being.

“Nevermind, sit down, Greg and I need to talk to you about...something,” Jasper pinched either side of her gem and heaved a sigh.

...And apparently, Diamond already knew everything there was to know about the matter.

Or...at least they knew a lot more than Greg and Jasper did.

“Alexis had that happen last month,” Diamond shrugged. “I took her to the school nurse and she told us about it then.”

“O-oh,” Jasper and Greg grunted.

After that, so far as Jasper knew, she just needed to load up on pamphlets and informational booklets about teenagers, and buy some... _ feminine supplies _ (they could at least come up with a better word for that…) for Diamond when the time came.

What Jasper didn’t know was how sick Diamond would get when the time came. It started while they were at school and Jasper got a call from the nurse to pick them up.

“They’re having pretty bad menstrual cramps,” the nurse on the phone explained. “It’s not uncommon, but I gave them some ibuprofin a few hours ago and it doesn’t seem to be helping; it might be best if you take them home.”

“Oh,” Jasper was surprised. The booklet she had been studying told her that cramps weren’t uncommon, but it also said that they were usually manageable. When she arrived to the school to pick Diamond up, however, Jasper instantly regretted waiting to get her driver’s license.

Diamond was curled up on a cot, clutching their stomach, a thin blanket draped over them.

“Are they okay?” Jasper asked the nurse in a hushed voice. The nurse nodded her head, wearing an apologetic smile as she slid the sign-out papers Jasper’s way.

“Oh they’ll be okay,” the nurse assured. “Cramps are very common with this, especially for young girls” -a pointed look from Jasper prompted the nurse to clear her throat- “I mean, young kids who go through menstrual cycles. Some people get them worse than others. I just recommend getting Diamond home and treating this like any other sick day. Play tomorrow by ear, if they’re feeling better they can by all means come to school, but don’t push it if they aren’t up to it.”

“Is there anything I can do for the pain?” Jasper asked, glancing over at Diamond. They hadn’t even stirred in response to the sound of her voice. The poor thing looked absolutely miserable.

“Painkillers every 4-6 hours,” the nurse answered. “A warm compress or a heating pad usually helps, a warm bath, just overall pampering.”

"Okay, thank you,” Jasper said. Of all the teachers and faculty that Jasper had ever dealt with, the nurse was probably one of the people she liked the most. She was certainly the most understanding and willing to learn about Diamond’s gender and how they identified.

Jasper strode over to the cot Diamond was laying on and sat down beside them. She reached forward and pressed her hand gently on their shoulder, nudging them slightly. The kid’s eyes fluttered open and they looked up. Their face was so pale, Jasper wondered if they were running a fever.

“Mom?” Diamond whimpered, tears stinging their eyes. “I don’t feel good…”

“I know, sweetie,” Jasper ran her fingers through their thick hair. “I’m gonna take you home, prop you up on the couch, and we’re going to do nothing but watch your favorite movies, and I’m going to fix your favorite foods for dinner tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” Diamond moaned. They sat up slowly, their cheeks growing even more white in the process. “Mom, can you please carry me home? I feel like I’m going to throw up…”

“I will do whatever you need me to do, Kiddo,” Jasper said gently as she carefully lifted Diamond into her arms. The walk home was miserable, and as soon as she set Diamond down in the living room the kid doubled forward and ran to the bathroom. Jasper jumped and froze for a moment until she heard retching noises echo through the house.

“Diamond?” Jasper yelped as she stepped into the bathroom, only to find her little diamond hunched over the toilet crying. It took everything the gem had in her to keep from panicking as she held their hair back and wiped their tears. It was several minutes before Diamond’s stomach had calmed enough for Jasper to take them back to the couch so they could settle down and take a nap. The minute Diamond finally closed their pretty little eyes Jasper bolted to the kitchen and called the pediatrician.

The phone call only made Jasper want to scream. All the doctor could offer up was that cramps were normal, and while pain this bad was alarming, all Jasper could do was keep giving them pain medicine and a warm compress, and if the pain persisted more than four days or came back again the next month then to bring them in for a check-up. In the meantime, Jasper was stuck watching her child in misery.

Thankfully, Diamond didn’t vomit again after that, but they remained in excruciating pain until well past midnight. By the time the sun rose, Diamond was feeling better but they were so exhausted that Jasper couldn’t bring herself to make them go to school so she called them in sick.

“But Mom,” Diamond protested, “I have a math quiz today.”

“You can make it up after school tomorrow,” Jasper said, fluffing the pillows on the couch. “But for today, I’m going to spoil my sweet little diamond rotten.”

Diamond looked at her with tired eyes for a moment before they lifted their arms in a gesture Jasper knew all too well, tears clinging to the corners of their eyes. Jasper scooped the ten-year-old into her arms and sat down on the couch, holding them in her lap, cradling their head in her hand as they leaned into her chest. Jasper ruffled Diamond’s hair, noting how long it had gotten. They had pulled it into a messy bun at some point in the morning.

“Say, Kiddo,” Jasper hummed, “when you’re feeling better, do you want to get your haircut this weekend? I know it’s longer than you usually like to keep it.”

“No,” Diamond’s voice was muffled against the gem’s chest. “I’m growing it out.”

“Really?” Jasper raised her eyebrows at that. Though Diamond liked to explore all corners of their gender, it was unusual for them to not turn their nose up on anything “too girly” as they called it, and long hair had certainly been fitting in that category since Jasper had known the child.

“Yeah,” Diamond shrugged. “Alexis and Shannon said long hair would look good on me...is that okay?”

“Of course that’s okay,” Jasper chuckled, planting a kiss on their forehead. “You don’t need to ask permission from me on that matter, you know that.

“Thanks, Mom,” Diamond yawned, closing their eyes. Jasper hugged her child, sighing in relief that they were feeling better. The months that came after that were still associated with terrible cramps, but they seemed to be less and less painful each time, though the doctor did inform Jasper that there was medication Diamond could go on if the pain ever became unmanageable. The gem sighed in relief, thinking the scariest episode of parenting was over.

She should have known better the day Diamond bypassed the boy’s section of the retail store on their next shopping trip.

She  _ really _ should have known better when Diamond came home from a sleep-over with Alexis to find  _ bows _ in their hair.

The only parental crisis that was worse than the day Diamond hit puberty began at dinnertime one evening when they were eleven and nearing the end of fifth-grade. They had stopped talking about school as of late, which worried Jasper. They still worked diligently on their homework and received good grades on their tests (although math was proving to be a bit of an issue and the teacher recommended they find a tutor to help Diamond keep up), but they offered up minimal information when Jasper picked them up from school now. Worse yet, Diamond asked if they could start walking home on their own.

Okay, that last point was more of Jasper feeling a twinge in her stomach over Diamond being old enough to walk home by themselves but that was beside the point.

(It was also a little alarming when the request came the day after they had gone shopping and Diamond pulled six different extra large t-shirts from the clothing racks, suggesting Jasper try them on, but Jasper wasn’t trying to put much weight on that.)

“Pearl was telling me how your sword training went yesterday,” Jasper mused, breaking the silence. Diamond was uncharacteristically silent that evening, and the lack of conversation set the quartz on edge. Something was wrong and they weren’t telling her. “She said you’re picking up the basics quicker than even Connie did.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Diamond shrugged, sinking into their seat as they poked at the bell peppers on their plate.

Jasper glanced at Diamond’s nearly uneaten plate and then looked back up at Diamond. Weird. They loved bell peppers. Weirder yet, Diamond had been dreaming of the day they could start sword training with Pearl for months before Jasper and Pearl gave them the okay and how they had nothing to say? “Everything okay, Kiddo?”

Diamond let out something akin to a groan and Jasper watched, taking a sip of water, as they sat up straighter in their seat before asking, “Should I just be a girl?”

Jasper spat her water back into the glass, choking on the bits she had accidentally inhaled.

“What?” Jasper cringed. The petrified look Diamond gave in response to the gems surprise prompted the quartz to backpedal quickly: “Y-you are who you are, Diamond. If you identify as a girl, then you’re a girl.”

Diamond glanced back down at their (her?) plate, looking even more distraught. Jasper sat back in her chair for a moment, horribly confused and also really worried.

“May I ask what brought this on?”

“It’s just,” Diamond heaved a sigh, sinking into the chair, “I think I should be a girl.”

Jasper narrowed her eyes at that. “Thinking you  _ are _ a girl and thinking that you  _ should be  _ a girl are two different things, Diamond.”

Diamond looked away, tears beginning to form as they huffed, “Well then I am a girl.”

“Diamond,” Jasper instinctively rose to her feet to sit down beside Diamond, placing a hand on their shoulder. “Is this really how you feel? You know I’ll support whatever you decide, but I just want to make sure that this is  _ you _ telling me you’re a girl and not anyone else.”

Diamond nodded their head, their lip quivering and tears falling down their cheeks. Jasper could visibly see her little diamond’s heart break as they slowly broke down, covering their face with their arm and cried out, “I don’t feel like a girl! But I’m supposed to be! Aren’t I?”

“Diamond,” Jasper felt her gem cracking at the sight of her little diamond this distraught. She pulled them into a hug and suddenly felt anger welling up inside of her. She had a feeling she knew what had started this and asked, “Who told you you’re supposed to be a girl?”

Diamond hiccuped and said, “Everyone!”

“Well, who’s everyone?”

“I—” Diamond whimpered before pushing their way out of the hug, looking up at Jasper with a tearful gaze and answered, “Alexis’s mom and M-Mrs. Sampson.”

Diamond sobbed as they explained how much their teacher had been pushing the subject all school year, and how Alexis had told her mom and asked for advice on how to help only to come back to school the next day to inform Diamond that the woman had actually  _ agreed _ with Mrs. Sampson and Diamond just needed to get over this phase they were in. 

The child sobbed harder, insisting that they never felt like a girl but, hiccuping, Diamond asked, “I-Is something wrong with me?!”

Jasper felt tears sting her eyes as she pulled her little diamond into a hug, wondering what sick corner of human society deemed it okay to torment a little kid like this. The quartz bit her tongue, forcing down the anger that boiled within. The only other time she felt such murderous intent boil underneath her form was the day she was assigned to escort Peridot to earth, hoping she would run into Rose Quartz and make sure she knew  _ exactly _ how much her actions had tormented Jasper.

But this time was worse, this wasn’t Jasper’s life being affected, this was  _ Diamond’s _ . And there would be hell to pay for crossing her baby like that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cross Jasper, you might just get shattered. 
> 
> Cross Diamond and Jasper finds out about it? Yeah you're done for, sorry bout it. 
> 
> In summation: don't ever misgender Jasper's babies. Or anyone for that matter. Lest you want a raging, feminist, cheeto puff mom chasing you down.


	12. Diamonds and Coal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper's smack-down doesn't go quite as well as she had hoped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might've made myself cry throughout this one. It's fine. I'm fine. We're all fine.
> 
> Also, side note, I noticed a few people doing this and it could have very well been a mistake but, I want to reiterate that Diamond is nonbinary. If you aren't familiar with that term, it essentially means that they do not identify as either male or female. The best way to think of this is that gender is a spectrum and not everyone sorts neatly between two bins, and those that don't are nonbinary. Specifically, (and I'll get into this later) Diamond is agender, which means that they don't have a gender, hence why they use they/them pronouns. 
> 
> That being said, please don't refer to Diamond with she/her pronouns. I know my early chapters had depicted that, but that was simply because they didn't know it was possible to be nb because they were seven. If it's an honest mistake, or people were fuzzy on what non binary meant I totally understand, I just keep seeing a small minority of people using she/her still and I wanted to make that clarification. 
> 
> (plus this is helpful life advice if you ever have a friend who doesn't identify with their assigned gender! Pronouns are confusing and it is extremely important to listen and use the pronouns they ask you to as that's a huge part of a person's identity--more so than you can really imagine because this is something that is really taken for granted at times. So yeah, life tips!)

“Mom, you reeeeally don’t have to do this,” Diamond insisted. Jasper had all but tuned them out in her blind fury. She’d be lying if she had said she was proud of how she conducted herself on the phone call with the teacher, but per Diamond’s urging she kept most of her opinions at bay and requested to meet with Mrs. Sampson in person. 

That blasted woman needed to know what happened when someone crossed her baby. 

“Oh, I really do,” Jasper quipped, reaching into the closet to grab her cape (to her amazement, the Crystal Gems had pulled it from the wreckage of her ship and held onto it...why that was salvaged, but Peridot’s limb enhancers weren’t, was beyond Jasper but that gem was better without faulty tools anyway). She draped it over her shoulders and fastened it before about-facing and moving past Diamond to head out. 

“Wait,” Diamond yelped, chasing after the quartz, “You have a  _ cape _ !? I thought gems just ‘phased’ their clothes to stick to their bodies!”

“Yes!” Jasper grunted, not entirely sure why the kid felt the need to use air quotes. 

“So you’ll wear a cape but you wouldn’t try on actual people clothes?” Diamond snapped back.

“It was a gift from Homeworld and my wardrobe is not up for discussion, Diamond,” Jasper snapped back as she exited the room and stomped down the stairs. Diamond bounced on their feet and bounded down the stairs behind her. 

“Okay but why are you even wearing a cape to meet with my teacher!?”

“To look intimidating!”

“Mom!” Diamond wailed. “You can’t intimidate my teacher!”

“I can and I will,” Jasper barked back. “She doesn’t get to dictate who you are, and I am going to let her know exactly what I think about how she treats you.”

“Noooo!” Diamond grabbed hold of Jasper’s cape, tugging on it with all of their strength. Jasper could have just dragged them as she walked, their weight did nothing to hold her back like they were probably hoping for. But, this  _ was  _ Diamond, so the gem stopped and heaved a sigh.

“Diamond,” Jasper softened her voice, trying to quell her anger enough to ease her diamond’s concerns. “I have to go.”

“No you don’t!”

“Diamond!” Jasper heaved. “Adult or not, people shouldn’t be forcing you to be something you’re not. That’s harassment!” 

“But Moooom,” Diamond whined. “She’s my teacher! She’s older than me!” 

“And I’m older than her by over five  _ thousand _ years! If she’s going to try and use seniority as her excuse then she has another thing coming.”

“Okay, but Mom, you can’t do that,” Diamond was practically begging as they leaned all their weight into Jasper’s leg, they were tugging on her cape with so much force. 

“And why not?”

“I already get made fun of enough as it is!” Diamond snapped, glaring up at Jasper with an intensity she had never seen before. “The last thing I need is my classmates telling me that my ‘Space Mom’ threw Mrs. Sampson out the window!” 

Jasper stiffened for a moment, staring down at Diamond. She raised her brow and grabbed Diamond by the shirt collar and stood them up.

“Diamond,” Jasper lowered her voice as she kneeled down to one knee, looking her child in the eye. “Are the kids at school bullying you?”

Diamond hesitated. 

“No,” they said, their cheeks turning bright red. Jasper let out a low growl before she even realized it. 

“Diamond…”

“I’m fine, Mom!”

“Well obviously you’re not!” Jasper snapped back, rising to her feet again. “If you’re being bullied then your teachers should be protecting you! I’m going to this meeting!”

“Mom, no!” 

“I’m not going to throw a human out the window! But your teacher is going to get a piece of my mind—”

“NO!” Diamond screamed, leaping in front of the door with their arms outspread. “You can’t go!” 

“What has gotten into you!?” Jasper demanded to know. 

“You can’t go!” Diamond said again. Tears welled in the corners of their eyes. “If you go, Mrs. Sampson is just going to yell at me more, and everyone is going to find out about it and they’re gonna be even worse!” 

Jasper felt herself cringing in confusion. “How would they find out?”

“I don’t know! They just will!” Diamond shot back. “You aren’t exactly subtle,  _ Mom _ .”

“Now what does  _ that _ mean?”

“I don’t know, you’re eight feet tall? Orange? Loud? Mom, you’re wearing a  _ cape _ and the PTA is meeting today and everyone is going to see you! Alexis’s mom is going to be there and she already doesn’t like us hanging out. And she’s going to tell Alexis, and Alexis is a great friend but she can’t keep her mouth shut.”

“Okay! Fine! I won’t wear the cape!” Jasper barked back, unfastening her cape, not bothering to catch it as it fell to the floor. 

“Mom, just—please,” Diamond begged. “Don’t go. I just have to put up with Mrs. Sampson for a few more months.”

“But you have to put up with those other kids for a lot longer,” Jasper crossed her arms. “And they need to learn to respect you.”

“Well, not having a gender is apparently a joke to everyone but you, so what does it matter?” Diamond snapped back. “It’s  _ fine _ , Mom, I don’t mind having to pretend to be a girl to get by!” 

“Well I  _ do  _ mind!” Jasper yelled, feeling anger rise within her so quickly that her entire forearm flared up in one go. It took everything she had to keep from wincing in pain. “And if anyone keeps giving you trouble, I will protect you!” 

“No! Just let me deal with this! You don’t know what it’s like!” 

“No, I don’t, but I can protect you—”

“WELL I DON’T WANT YOU TO PROTECT ME!” Diamond screamed so loud their voice cracked. Jasper froze, feeling the ground fall out from underneath her. The child was heaving, tears leaking out of their eyes. “You  _ can’t _ protect me! That’s just...it’s how it is so just let me deal with this... _ please _ .” 

Jasper stared at Diamond, barely even registering the searing pain the shifted up to her shoulder. 

She couldn’t…

She couldn’t...protect them?

The quartz took a step back, trying to maintain her balance, and suddenly she felt small, and she was staring up at a beautiful, giant, pink gem ordering her to exit the court.

_ “My Diamond…! Please! I can protect you!” _

_ “You can’t protect me, Jasper. You must allow for me to handle this on my own. She is but a quartz and a former member of my court, there is no need for protection.” _

She shouldn’t have listened. She should have disobeyed orders, even if it was Her Diamond that had given them. 

But she didn’t. She had failed. She couldn’t protect Pink Diamond.

She couldn’t even protect her diamond now. 

“Alright fine,” Jasper relented, forcing herself to even sound audible. “I can’t protect you.”

Diamond jumped at that statement, their face paling. “Wait, Mom, I didn’t mean it—”

“It’s okay,” Jasper said gruffly, side-stepping around Diamond to open the door. “But I am a quartz and your mom, and I’m supposed to be able to protect you so I can still try.”

“Mom—”

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything out of line that will get you in trouble,” the quartz assured. “I’ll try to explain to Mrs. Sampson that you are not a girl and that’s it. Steven is on his way to keep you company but I’m already running late. He knows where the spare key is so don’t answer the door for anyone, okay?”

Diamond was very very quiet as they muttered, “Yes ma’am.”

With that, Jasper stepped outside and closed the door behind her. She wound up being five minutes late because she had to stop for a moment because she couldn’t stop herself from crying. 

Maybe the kindergartners were wrong about Jasper.

Maybe she was just as defective as the others after all. 

* * *

Steven had been surprised when Jasper asked him to babysit Diamond, but when she explained the situation he had prepared himself to find Diamond very upset when he arrived.

What he  _ hadn’t _ expected was to find Diamond actually crying.

He forgot which rock the spare key was under so it was a relief when he located it and pushed the door open, cheering, “Hey Diamond! Sorry I’m—Diamond?” 

They were sitting on the stairs holding what looked like a dark blanket. 

“Hey, is...are you okay?” he asked, sitting down on the stair next to them. 

“I hate this!” they sobbed. 

“It’s okay,” Steven said gently, patting them on the back. “You have every right to be upset, that’s why Jasper’s going to talk to your teacher. She’s just protecting you.”

Apparently, Steven’s words of comfort just made things worse. Diamond coughed and sobbed even harder, ducking their head into the blanket.

“I hurt Mom’s feelings!” They cried out. “I told her she couldn’t protect me and she got mad! But I didn’t mean it like that, I just want everyone to leave me alone and stop telling me I’m a girl, because I’m not and I want them to stop making fun of me! But Mom’s just going to yell at Mrs. Sampson and make it worse but I don’t want Mom to be mad at me too!” 

“Diamond,” Steven said, staring down at his feet. “I don’t think your mom is mad at you, I think she just feels sad because you’re hurting so much.”

“Well, I don’t want that either!” Diamond sobbed. “It’s not her fault!” 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Steven said, trying to hold his tongue until they calmed down enough. Diamond’s sobs initially lowered into hiccups, so Steven rose to grab a glass of water and some tissues. When they had taken a drink of water and blew their nose, Steven heaved a sigh and said, “You know that your mom lost a lot of gems that were really important to her, right?”

Diamond sniffled. “I know she loved Pink Diamond and Pink Diamond died.”

“Yeah, Pink Diamond was shattered,” Steven explained. He heaved another sigh and admitted, “And...my mom was the one who did that.”

Diamond’s head swiveled to look at Steven with wide eyes. Steven looked down and continued, “I don’t know fully what happened, but I know Jasper blamed herself for not being able to protect Pink Diamond. And she knew a lot of people from the Beta Kindergarten where she came from that were shattered too.”

“Why were they shattered?” Diamond asked, their brow furrowing. 

“Homeworld was very strict with how gems were supposed to be,” Steven explained. “Like pearls were supposed to be dainty servants, and quartzes like your mom were supposed to be soldiers that are big and strong. Anyone different than how they were intended was considered defective and shattered. Amethyst and Jasper didn’t get along when they first met because Amethyst is really small for a quartz, and if she had been around during the gem war she would have been shattered like all of Jasper’s friends, but she didn’t and she wasn’t.”

“So...all of Mom’s friends died?” Diamond asked. Steven nodded his head. 

“She lost them and couldn’t protect them, and as a quartz soldier that was her biggest job according to Homeworld so she felt even guiltier. And parents are supposed to protect their children; Jasper just really wants to protect you, and she’s afraid of something bad happening to you because the idea of her not being able to protect you scares her.”

Tears welled up in Diamond’s eyes all over again as they buried their face in the blanket, whimpering. 

“I’m so stupid…”

“You’re not stupid!” Steven insisted. “You just didn’t know and that’s not your fault.”

Diamond nodded their head but didn’t seem very convinced, “Do you think Mom will be okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Diamond heaved a sigh, “Mom’s probably really upset right now and I don’t know how she’ll be able to talk to Mrs. Sampson, and if she can’t change Mrs. Sampson’s mind she’s going to feel really bad.”

“Hmmm,” Steven crossed his arms in thought. They had a point, but they didn’t need to be worrying about Jasper so much right now… “You know, when I was really little and the Crystal Gems would go on missions without me, I used to get really scared while they were away. I was afraid something would go wrong or they wouldn’t want to come back. You know what I did to feel better?”

“What?” Diamond sniffled, wiping their nose with their forearm.

“I used to play a game where I pretended to be them and act out what I thought happened while they were away,” Steven answered with a smile. “Garnet would usually ask me what I thought she did while she was gone and we used to call it ‘Garnet’s Universe,’ and it became a kind of game.”

Diamond looked down at the blanket, holding it up slightly as they examined it. “And that helped?”

“Yeah!” Steven grinned. 

Diamond broke out into a smile and wrapped their blanket around their shoulders, standing up. They fumbled with what looked like a buckle and suddenly Steven realized that the blanket was actually Jasper’s cape (she actually kept that…?). Diamond placed their hands on their hips, grinning, and with a lowered voice they declared, “I, Jasper, am the mighty protector of diamonds everywhere!”

“That’s the spirit!” Steven cheered. “Oh! I mean...I’m Mrs. Sampson, evil teacher of doooooom!”

* * *

Yeah, Jasper was definitely defective.

The quartz sat on the beach, fighting back tears as she stared out in the ocean in part disbelief that the blasted human, who was somehow allowed to be a teacher, was so close-minded that she wouldn’t hear anything that Jasper had to say, and part misery that she had failed so epically in helping Diamond. 

_ “Listen, Mrs. Sampson, I appreciate all that you do as a teacher,” Jasper grunted, forcing herself to sound diplomatic. Ugh, where was Pearl or Garnet when she needed them? “But I just have a lot of concerns on how Diamond is treated.” _

_ “I treat her how I treat all my students,” Mrs. Sampson stated simply. “No more, no less.” _

_ “That’s just it,” Jasper said. “They are not a girl, and Diamond feels like that you’re trying to insist that they are.” _

_ “Because she is,” Mrs. Sampson said. “I know this isn’t something you...gems can understand, but here on Earth we have boys and we have girls. If you’re born a boy then you’re a boy and vice versa. End of story.” _

_ “Except that’s not at all that simple,” Jasper grit her teeth with so much strength that she felt her jaw pop. “I may not be a human, but I know that there’s more to being a human than being a boy or a girl. And there’s more than one gender, and I had a hard time understanding it at first too, but sometimes you just have to listen to your kid and how they feel because—” _

_ “Well, as a teacher I’m inclined to give parents advice,” Mrs. Sampson interrupted. “It doesn’t really matter how kids ‘feel’ about their gender at this age, and it is your job to reinforce how Diamond should be, not what she thinks is...cool or unique.” _

_ “Oh, so I should just completely ignore Diamond’s identity for the next eight years then? What if they turn eighteen and still don’t feel like a girl?” _

_ “Then you will have royally failed as a parent, Ms. Quartz.” _

In hindsight, Jasper should have ignored Diamond’s request and thrown the woman out the window. 

“Yo, Jasper!” Amethyst cheered. “What are you doing over here?”

Jasper couldn’t bring herself to respond. Instead, a tear managed to fall from her eye and trailed down her cheek. 

“...Jasper?” Amethyst’s voice was low and the soldier had jumped, not aware that the smaller quartz had approached. “What’s wrong?”

“I was wrong, Amethyst,” Jasper sighed. “Between the two of us, you weren’t the defective one.”

“What in the world does that mean?” Amethyst raised an eyebrow, sitting next to Jasper.

“My one purpose in life was to protect and fight,” Jasper explained. Just admitting it out loud finally broke the damn and she cried out, “And I can’t even protect my child!” 

“Dude, what are you talking about?” Amethyst almost laughed. “You made the impossible happen when you adopted Diamond. You had everything going against you and you still made it happen.”

“So? What does it matter if I can’t protect them?”

“Protect them from what?”

“From everything! From school, from their teachers, from their classmates!” 

“Well, Jasper,” Amethyst started. “I hate to break it to you, but you can’t protect them from all that. No one can. But that doesn’t mean you’ve failed.”

“How does it not mean that!?”

“Because you protect them from enough,” Amethyst smiled. “The cool thing about Earth, Jasper, is that you don’t have to do just the one thing you were made to do. Yeah, you’re made to fight and protect people, but you’re not just a quartz anymore. You’re a  _ mom _ , it’s okay if you can’t protect Diamond from everything, because then you can teach them how to protect themselves!”

Jasper felt her brow furrow and she forced a smile. “Is that how you guys raised Steven?”

“More or less,” Amethyst shrugged. “That was more life advice from Greg to Pearl when her perfectionism kicked in.”

“It’s good advice,” Jasper muttered. “I hope you’re right.”

The walk home was a long one as Jasper mulled over how she was going to break it to Diamond that maybe they were right: all she did was make things worse. When she stepped through the front door, however, the house was quiet. Way too quiet.

“Diamond?” Jasper called out. “Steven?”

The continued silence alarmed her as she stepped into the kitchen, then the living room, and it wasn’t until she made it to the sunroom in the back of the house when she heard Diamond’s cheering and a flash of Steven pass through the window. 

Oh thank the stars.

Jasper watched out the window for a moment when she noticed that Diamond was wearing her cape and a box on their head, bouncing around in front of their stuffed rabbit. The gem narrowed her eyes and opened the back door to hear more of what was happening, and as soon as she opened it, Diamond’s voice reverberated through the entrance, surprisingly deeper than normal. 

“YOU LEAVE MY DIAMOND ALONE YOU FIEND!” Diamond yelled. “I protect everyone!”

“Try me!” Steven shouted back. “I am the evil Crystal Gem and I will punish you!”

“You traitors are not worthy to use a Sailor Moon reference!”

“Say goodbye to your Diamond friend, Jasper!” 

“NEVERRR!” Diamond screamed and launched themselves at Steven, barrelling into his middle. The seventeen year old had hit a really late growth spurt and his height and girth had become quite impressive. He was nowhere near the height of a typical quartz, he was maybe a bit taller than Greg, but his shoulders were almost as broad as Jasper’s by this point. In short, seeing a scrawny little ten-year old trying to knock Steven over was quite a comical sight to behold. 

The box fell off their head in the process and Steven toppled over, crying out, “Oh noooo! I have been defeated! I am no match to the great Jasper!” 

“Take that! No one will EVER hurt My Diamond! I am the greatest!” Diamond cheered as they scrambled back to their feet. The child broke out into a fit of giggles and began parading around the yard, nearly tripping over the cape as they flapped their arms while holding onto the ends of it. It took a long moment for Jasper to figure out what the two were doing, but seeing Diamond chanting “Jasper is the strongest, Jasper is the best,” struck the gem somewhere in her core. 

She took a few steps outside before Diamond and Steven noticed her, both freezing. Diamond’s eyes grew wider than saucers, and they ducked part of their cape over their head like a hood in panic. “I—Mom! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—!” 

“What are you doing?” Jasper asked. 

“Jasper, we were just—well, Diamond was really worried about you so we were playing a game about how they think the gem war should’ve gone...and that sounds really bad but it’s kind of a coping mechanism and—” Steven stammered, but Jasper just lifted her hand to cut him off. 

“Gem war, huh?” Jasper grunted. Diamond nodded their head and she carefully reached forward to unfasten the cape from their neck. The child flinched and visibly deflated as Jasper removed the cape. She felt a pang in her chest at the sight, but forced herself to continue on, draping the cape around her own shoulders and grinning, “Forget the gem war, there is a much more important battle to be fought, My Diamond!” 

Diamond jumped and looked up at Jasper with brighter eyes. The gem chuckled, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at Steven. “Now tell me, who is this misgendering villain before me!” 

A smile erupted against Steven’s cheeks as the teenager cheered, “I am the evilest villain of them all! And I will not rest until Diamond is defeated!”

“Over my dead body!” Jasper barked back, feigning a defensive position. “Stay behind me, Diamond!” 

“Get out of my way, Jasper, or I will shatter you!” Steven spat back playfully. 

“No!” Diamond snapped, leaping from behind Jasper and to her side, a fierce determination in their otherwise playful expression. “You can’t hurt my Mom!” 

“Try me!” 

Jasper raised an eyebrow, not sure how to respond next (she was not good at this roleplaying thing), but Diamond turned to look up at Jasper with a smile on their face, “I’ll fight next to you so we can protect each other!”

“Is that so?” Jasper asked, feeling a grin cross her face. 

“Yeah! Because we’re Quartzes, Mom! And Quartzes are supposed to protect everyone, so that’s what we’ll do!” 

Jasper lifted her eyebrows, breaking out into a laugh. Well...technically speaking, they weren’t  _ wrong _ . Plus, Amethyst was right, she didn’t need to protect Diamond from everything after all.

They could look out for each other. After all, that truly was what Quartzes were meant to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sobs*


	13. Strong as a Diamond, Pretty as a Pearl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Diamond ships just about anyone with their mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As celebration for surviving several weeks of mid-term hell, I give to you another chapter!

For the first two years that they knew their mom, Diamond hadn’t ever pictured her dating anyone. Or being in any relationship. Honestly, if Diamond had to picture their perfect family it would have just been them, Mom, and Kathy. But Kathy hadn’t been able to stay, so Diamond and Mom it was, and that was pretty great too. Afterall, Mom was the greatest thing to ever come into Diamond’s life. She was a superhero in every sense of the word. 

And then Diamond learned that Mom had a type. 

Well, Aunt Amy told Diamond that Mom had a type. 

They didn’t really know what that meant. But they do know that the entire ordeal started one afternoon while eating fry bits. 

Mr. Fryman had a son that was about Steven’s age, and he was really nice. Petie usually said hi to Diamond and asked how they were doing. And once, every other week on the way home from school, Mom would take Diamond to get fry bits (it had been every week but then Mom learned what ‘nutrition facts’ were while helping Diamond with homework one day and she decided that fry bits weren’t very healthy. So now fry bits were a special treat), and this one particular afternoon while waiting for the bits, Kofi came out of Fish Stew Pizza in a panic. 

“Blasted remodel! Stupid electricity!” Mr. Kofi yelled angrily. Diamond hugged Mom’s leg as they watched the man rubbing his back in pain. Moments later, Mrs. Nanefue came stomping out of the shop yelling foreign words Diamond didn’t understand. 

“It’s not the electrician’s fault that you can’t move furniture! You need a bigger backbone!” Nanefue scolded. 

Above them, Diamond heard Mom sigh. 

“Kofi, do you need any help?” she asked. 

“Oh, Jasper! Thank goodness,” Mr. Kofi heaved a sigh. “I don’t want to take you away from anything if you’re with Diamond!”

Mom shrugged. “Well, we’re just heading home after this. If whatever you need help with doesn’t take too long I’d be happy to help.”

“Well—” Mr. Kofi started

“Yes, Jasper, my son would love your help,” Mrs. Pizza cut Kofi off. “We need to move a few things because the electrician came and rewired everything.”

“Idiot electrician changed the outlets and now I have to move the entire fridge before all the ingredients go bad!” Kofi exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. 

“And my idiot son doesn’t know how to lift with his knees!” 

“Mother!”

Diamond fought hard to hold back their giggles at the exchange.

Mom didn’t bother. 

“Alright,” she chuckled. “Let me come in and see what I can do. Fryman, can you watch Diamond for a moment?”

“I sure can!” Mr. Fryman said. “Diamond, you want to learn how to use a frier?”

“Okay,” Diamond chirped. They then lifted their arms up towards Mom.

“What?” the gem asked. 

“Can you lift me up?” Diamond asked. 

“Why?”

“So I can get in!” Diamond explained. “I can’t reach the window.”

“There’s a door in the back,” Mom raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah but this is easier,” Diamond whined. They then puckered their lower lip out in a pout. “Pleeeease?”

Mom heaved a heavy sigh, exchanging a glance at Mr. Fryman, who merely shrugged and held back a grin of his own. As she lifted Diamond under the armpits and deposited them on the other side of the window, she asked, “How are you going to get by when you’re too big for me to carry you everywhere?”

“Well, I thought that because you’re so tall I won’t get too big,” Diamond retorted. They hadn’t realized how tall they had gotten until they finally beat Amethyst in height. Afterall, Diamond still fit neatly in the crook of Mom’s arm like an infant because she was so tall. 

“Yeah but what if you’re all grown up and too old for me to carry you?”

“But Mooooom!” Diamond whined. Mom simply rolled her eyes and told them to hang tight while she helped the Pizzas out. Diamond then turned attentively to Mr. Fryman and Petie and gladly helped Petie work the grill. 

Well, they watched Petie work the grill. Apparently they couldn’t work the grill until they were thirteen. 

“Hey, Diamond, come take out the trash with me,” Petie said. 

“Okay,” Diamond grinned, holding their arms out as Petie gave them a trash bag that was nearly as tall as they were. 

The two went out behind the shop and as Diamond handed Petie their bag to chuck into the dumpster, the boy grabbed them by the shoulder, knelt down closer to their height, and said, “Diamond, we have to get our parents together.”

“Uh...what?” Diamond cringed. “What do you mean by...together?”

“It’s obvious isn’t it?” Petie asked. “They’re totally into each other!”

“Well, Mom said that your dad was nice, but—”

“Look, Diamond,” Petie pressed his hands to his head. “My dad is completely in  _ love _ with your mom. And your mom likes him back! But neither of them are making a move, so as their children it is our moral obligation to help.”

“Um…” Diamond pursed their lips together. “I don’t think they’re in love with each other...I mean my mom was closer to my foster mom than anyone else. Like she lived with us for a while and everything.” 

“Oh, they’re in love with each other.” Petie stared at Diamond intently. “I’m sure. Just...talk to your mom, okay? The fate of the world is in the balance!” 

“Uh...okay,” Diamond knitted their eyebrows together. The two returned to the shop together, and a few minutes later Mom poked her head into the window, having completed whatever task she was helping the Pizza family with. 

“Diamond, you ready to go?”

“Yes, Mom!” Diamond cheered, grabbing their backpack. “Bye Petie! Bye Mr. Fryman!” 

On the walk home, Diamond rode on Mom’s shoulders, almost completely nestled in her hair. 

“Hey Mom?” Diamond asked as they rounded the corner towards the house. 

“Yeah, Kiddo?” 

“Do you like Mr. Fryman?”

“Yeah,” Mom shrugged, lifting Diamond up slightly and tickling their nose against her hair in the process. “He’s a nice guy, good with his kids. Why do you ask?”

Diamond felt their eyes widen and their stomach sink as they squeaked that there was really no reason behind the question. The next time they saw Aunt Amy, however, they ran up to the purple gem screaming, “MY MOM IS IN LOVE WITH MR. FRYMAN!”

Amethyst nearly fell over from the rock she had been lounging on. She sat up, her eyes wide in shock as she sputtered, “What?!”

“Mom loves Mr. Fryman!” Diamond reiterated. “Petie told me!”

Amethyst stared at Diamond for a long moment, visually processing what had come out of their mouth behind her glassy blue gaze. And, after a moment, the quartz spat out a cackle, falling onto the sand of the beach. 

“HAAA! That’s the best joke I’ve heard all day!” 

“Aunt Amy! I’m serious!” Diamond pleaded, grabbing the hem of their skirt. “I just want Mom to be happy! And Petie said that she and Mr. Fryman are in love! And people who are in love but aren’t together get sad!”

Amethyst wiped her eyes as she tried to calm down enough to say, “Diamond, I don’t know what world Petie lives in, but Jasper definitely does  _ not _ feel anything like that for Fryman.”

“How do you know!?”

“Diamond, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but your mom has a type,” Amethyst explained. “She’s a sucker for any girl that’s dainty.”

Staring at Amethyst for several moments, unable to compute what any of that meant, Diamond settled for shrugging and saying, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Amethyst grinned. “Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.”

“But what about Fryman?”

“Oh he definitely has a crush on Jasper,” Amethyst agreed, crossing her arms. “Poor guy doesn’t know what’s coming. But he’ll get over it soon enough.”

“Yeah, but shouldn’t we tell him?”

“Nah,” Amethyst laughed. 

It was another two years before Diamond even pondered the prospect of their Mom having a “type” and what that even meant. 

They weren’t even sure why the thought came back one day, but a few weeks after Mom’s battle against the horrid Mrs. Sampson, after a lesson with Pearl, Diamond found themselves asking, “Pearl? How did you get into swords?”

“Oh! Well, Diamond, it started during the gem war,” Pearl explained, leaning against the hilt of her sword. 

“Gem war?” Diamond asked. “Is that like...the whole thing when Mom fought with Pink Diamond and you guys used to be enemies?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it, Diamond,” Pearl nodded, sitting down on one of the bleachers in the arena. “Tell me, how much has Jasper told you about the gem war?”

“I know that she came from the Beta Kindergarten, and she loved Pink Diamond, but Pink Diamond died so that was kind of why she hated the Crystal Gems and Steven’s mom for a while. But she never actually talked much about the gem war.”

“Well!” Pearl clasped her hands together, her eyes lighting up as they always did when she got to share a piece of gem history that Diamond didn’t yet know about. She told Diamond about the gem hierarchy (that much Mom had told Diamond about) and how Rose Quartz offered a freedom she had never dreamed of before the war. She only very briefly touched on Diamond’s actual question when she said that in order to defend herself she studied various human forms of combat. Not to Diamond’s surprise in the slightest, Pearl eventually broke out into a small song about the Gem War and watching a projection of her memory with Rose Quartz, a thought struck Diamond upside the head like a brick.

Rose Quartz was as tall as Mom.

Mom and Rose Quartz were both...well...quartzes. 

Pearl was tiny.

Comparatively speaking, Pearl was also very dainty.

Objectively speaking, she was small and dainty to be perfectly honest.

Diamond could also recount multiple times they had caught Mom in the act of staring out into space in the general direction of Pearl...or tiny women like Pearl...and looking very disgruntled when asked about what she was looking at. 

_ Dainty. _

Mom had a type.

“Dainty,” Diamond gasped out loud.

Pearl paused, her projection ceasing. “What?”

“Nothing!” Diamond yelped. Pearl shrugged and finished her story. Feeling overly educated, Diamond thanked Pearl for her time, bid Connie and Steven hello in passing, and pulled out their warp whistle to find Aunt Amy as quickly as possible. 

“AUNT AMY!” Diamond shrieked. They found Amethyst hanging out at the Prime Kindergarten with a group of Centipeetles. The noise startled the corrupted gems, and earned Diamond a few balls of acid to be thrown in their general direction, but Diamond paid no mind to it, apologized, and gave the Centipeetles some much needed scratches on their snouts before they turned their attention back to Amethyst: “Amethyst, Mom has a type!” 

“You  _ just _ figured this out?” Amethyst asked, picking her nose. “Dude, I told you this before.”

“Okay, yeah, but I didn’t get it then. Now I get it and—” Diamond paused, looking around to make sure they were really the only two around that would say anything about what would be said next—“ Amethyst, I think Mom has a thing for Pearl!”

That earned Diamond another eerily similar cackle. 

“Jasper? And Pearl!? Yeah right, when pigs fly!” 

“I’m serious!” Diamond stomped their foot on the ground. “Like actually serious this time! She’s Mom’s type! And Mom is  _ really  _ Pearl’s type!”

“Well, yeah, obviously,” Amethyst wheezed, “Have you  _ seen _ pictures of Rose!?”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Diamond crossed their arms. 

“Look, Diamond,” Amethyst fought to keep a straight face as she wrapped an arm around the eleven-year-old. “Your mom  _ totally _ checks Pearl out from time to time, you’re right. And yeah, Pearl  _ definitely _ has a thing for big and buff, but that pairing is never going to happen beyond that.”

“...why not?”

Amethyst opened and closed her mouth several times before she looked at Diamond blankly and answered, “You know, a couple years ago I would have said that Pearl hadn’t gotten over Rose yet and Jasper hadn’t gotten over hating Rose yet, but now I don’t know.”

“I’m pretty sure Mom still hates Rose.”

“Okay yeah, but she’s gotten over hating the rest of the Crystal Gems now,” Amethyst shrugged. “You know what, I have no clue what would happen actually.”

Diamond took note of that and for a full week tried, and failed, to get Mom on the topic of what would happen if she dated Pearl. 

“Soooo Mom,” Diamond began one morning, swinging their legs freely as they sat on the bar stool in the kitchen.

“No.”

“You didn’t even hear what I was going to ask!”

“Well, as a precaution I am here to say that boxer briefs definitely do not look good when they’re hanging free for the world to see, because your pants are so low on your waist you can’t even walk properly!” Mom quipped, turning her head just enough to shoot Diamond a sharp look. “I don’t care if it’s a fashion statement, it’s even less practical than those heeled shoes you wanted to wear for your birthday.”

“Well, all the guys can make it to and from class just fine with their pants like that, and those heels aren’t even as tall as the five inch ones that Alexis’s sister wears to college parties!”

“They make heels that are five inches?!” Mom guffawed, nearly knocking the hot griddle off the stove in the process. “What, do they want you kids to break your ankle or something!?”

“Mom,” Diamond groaned, resting their chin on a now empty cup. “As long as you know how to walk in them you can get around fine. Besides, the pants thing isn’t even what I was going to say. I put a belt on this morning and everything.”

“Oh,” Mom grunted, relaxing. “Sorry. Well, what were you going to say?”

“I was going to ask what you thought of Pearl.”

Pancakes hit the plate a lot louder than they probably should have. 

“What?”

“Do you like her?”

“Obviously,” Mom said. “She’s a very good friend and there aren’t many people I can exchange war stories with. I have a lot of respect for her.”

“Yeah, but do you  _ like _ her?”

Mom turned to glare at Diamond. “Why are you even asking?”

Diamond shrugged, and before they could compute logical thought enough to keep their mouth shut, their mouth spat, “she’s dainty.”

Mom’s eyes glazed over slightly as her face twisted into a sharp scowl and she crossed her arms. 

“Amethyst told you that didn’t she.”

Finding no other way out from under the petrifying stare, Diamond squeaked, “yes, ma’am.”

“I’m going to kill her.”

It was a full three weeks before Mom regained her composure enough to not act completely awkward around Pearl again. 

A year after that incident, any and all plans that Diamond had to try to push the two together were foiled completely by a pink-haired beauty. 

Diamond had been lounging on the couch at the temple reading a book and waiting for Mom to return from a mission. It was very rare that Mom was actually busy by the time Diamond got out of school. Frankly, the fact that Mom seemed to have so much availability worried Diamond. 

After all, they wouldn’t be a kid for Mom to take care of forever…

And worse yet (though Diamond tried to ignore this thought), Diamond wouldn’t live as long as Mom did. 

It wasn’t like they thought of death and dying on a regular basis, but it didn’t take much for Diamond to figure out that Mom’s thousand-year-old war stories probably meant that Mom would live for a thousand years more. 

Meanwhile, Diamond had always thought that people who reached one hundred were ancient. 

But! Never mind that, there were more important things to worry about. Like this book Connie had recommended. 

Diamond was three chapters from the end when they heard the warp pad activate. Glancing over, a small silhouette appeared within the light. Pearl stepped off the pad and immediately scampered into Steven’s closet muttering to herself. 

“Where’s everyone else?” Diamond asked. 

“Oh, they’re still recovering a few stray monsters,” Pearl explained. “I just...I had to leave early because—well...I have a date!” 

Whatever expression Diamond had been wearing, be it mild amusement or content, their face flattened to a blank stare. 

“What.”

“Yeah! It’s crazy! There was this girl that I met a few years ago at a concert—can you  _ believe _ that Amethyst and Steven drug me to a concert?—and she had given me her phone number, but I didn’t have a phone so I couldn’t call her. And we bumped into each other again the other day and she asked me to go with her to a movie!”

“ _ What. _ ”

“I know, it’s crazy,” Pearl laughed. “I haven’t been this wild since I tried to take on an entire army of Rubies by myself!”

Diamond struggled to understand  _ how _ a human could pique  _ Pearl’s _ interest of all people until a knock came at the door. Pearl was still fighting a pair of pants so Diamond took the liberty to answer it. 

And on the other side was a pink-haired woman that, while not as tall as Mom,  _ definitely _ fit the criteria for Pearl’s type. 

“Big,” Diamond muttered involuntarily.

“What?”

“Nothing!” Diamond blushed. “Uh...hi.”

“Hi,” the woman looked uncertain, “I’m...looking for Pearl?”

“Oh yeah!” Diamond managed a smile. “She’s...coming.”

“I’m here!” Pearl cheered. “So sorry, but human clothes, am I right?”

The woman snorted a laugh and nodded. “Yeah, they are the worst.”

Pearl let out something between a wheeze and a nervous laugh. After a short exchange of words, and an introduction to Diamond followed by a compliment on Diamond’s new haircut and galaxy leggings (“It looks so rad.” “Thanks! My friends tell me I look very gay. And I don’t really have a gender so…” “That’s  _ awesome! _ ”), Pearl and Mystery Girl were out the door leaving Diamond even more perplexed than before.

“WHAT!?”

While one look at the pink-haired beauty answered every question about Pearl’s preference that Diamond could have ever wondered in that span of five minutes, the kid still had to admit that they had a thousand more questions. 

One of which being: what the hell was Mom supposed to do now? Adopt more kids? 

Well, Diamond had to admit that that didn’t seem like a terrible idea...it would certainly divide Mom’s attention a little more. 

Ugh, but then she’d be stuck talking baby talk for a while. And as funny as that image now stuck in Diamond’s mind was, it might drive her up a wall. She could barely talk at Diamond’s level as-is when they were younger, what with all of the military mumbo jumbo that flooded their brain during that first year with Mom. 

Diamond was beginning to contemplate ways to achieve immortality by the time Mom actually followed their suggestion and went out to try on  _ human clothes _ . 

It took a lot of time in the men’s section of three different stores before they finally found a shop in the mall that catered to sizes that would actually fit Mom.

And she nearly demolished the store when she looked at the price tag for a camisole.

“Why is it $20?” she roared. “I could go next door and get the same thing in your size for $2!”

“Mom, calm down,” Diamond hushed. “You’re freaking the cashiers out.”

“But this is ridiculous! Screw this, I’m not wearing human clothes!”

“Oh come on, you’ve already got several shirts, and you can’t go running around pantsless!”

“Well, if anyone made anything that fit my  _ hips _ we wouldn’t be having this problem!”

“Well, you’re a giant, so.” 

Mom bit her lip and let out some kind of growl before the cashier timidly stepped up and pointed her towards the clearance section in the back of the store. 

Several arguments about how long the pant legs needed to be later, Diamond sat outside the dressing rooms playing Angry Birds on Mom’s phone. 

“Mom, why do you still have Angry Birds?”

“Because the birds look stupid and there's mass destruction and it’s hilarious,” Mom retorted. “Why are you on my phone?”

“I’m out of data for the month,” Diamond shrugged. 

“That didn’t answer my question.”

“Well, I can’t play games without data.”

“Well, maybe you should play games on your phone less.”

“Or I could have unlimited data.”

In that moment, Mom stepped out of the dressing room wearing plaid and khakis with combat boots completed by a very unamused look on her face. “And have you spent all night on that blogging site Ronaldo introduced you to instead of sleeping?”

“But it has memes!” Diamond protested. 

“And you overslept on three different occasions because of these memes.” Mom placed her hands on her hips. “And also, I’m not entirely sure the content on that website is appropriate.”

Diamond looked from Mom to the phone and back before they added meekly, “but the jokes are funny…”

Mom rolled her eyes and took a few steps forward to place a kiss on Diamond’s forehead before changing the subject, “Anyway, how do I look?”

Diamond examined the outfit Mom was wearing and tried and failed to think of any other choice of words than what actually came out of their mouth: “...really gay.”

The response Mom gave to the comment was a mix of mild confusion and vague certainty that such remarks were not very appropriate for a preteen to be saying in front of their parent. 

“Is that a bad thing?” Mom dared to ask.

“No,” Diamond shrugged. “You just look like a lesbian.”

Mom glanced down at her attire, heaved a sigh of defeat, and pinched her gem, “Well...I can’t really argue with that. Okay, I’m going to get out of this and we can go.”

Diamond stifled a giggle as Mom struggled to fit back into the door frame of the dressing room before resuming their game of angry birds. 

The game paused, however, when Mom’s phone buzzed and a little text message banner popped up on the screen. 

Huh. 

“Hey, Mom?”

“Yeah?”

“Who’s Kathryn LaGrange?”

The noise that followed reminded Diamond of the time they had first moved into the house and Mom accidentally dropped three separate moving boxes full of stuff because she hadn’t seen the coffee table and tripped over it.

“Wh-What’d she say?” Mom asked, nearly rolling out of the small room as she fought to get the khaki’s off of her ankles.

Diamond tapped on the banner and opened a new window, examining the string of messages that preceded the newest one. “It’s just a video of a cat.”

“Oh,” Mom grunted, swiping the phone out of Diamond’s hand. 

“Who is she?”

Mom’s brow lifted slightly in surprise, “Oh, you don’t know? LaGrange is Kathy’s maiden name.”

Diamond’s jaw fell to the ground. 

“You still talk to  _ Kathy _ ?” Diamond asked. 

“Yeah,” Mom shrugged. “We’ve kept in touch. Diamond, you spoke on the phone with her just last month.”

“I know you guys keep in touch, but I didn’t think you two texted that frequently!” Diamond gasped, lurching towards Mom’s phone to read previous messages. Mom took several steps backward and pulled the phone to her chest with a grunt. “Dude, you guys text, like, every day!”

“Yeah,” Mom held the phone above her head, well out of Diamond’s reach. “Because we’re  _ friends _ . Contrary to popular belief, I do have a social life.”

“Yeah yeah, anyway, what did she send you?” Diamond asked, curiosity taking over. 

Mom sat down on the bench and pulled up a video depicting a cat. A stupid tell-tale grin crossed Mom’s features as she explained, “Her parents have this really old cat and she’s visiting them this weekend. It loves boxes and she’s been messing with it all day!”

Diamond couldn’t help but notice how Mom cracked up at the cat ramming into cardboard a little too much. And as she flipped through pictures of the cat, they caught one of Kathy holding the cat. It had been a few years since Diamond had seen Kathy in person, and as a child it was hard for them to accurately gauge relative sizes of adults because in Diamond’s eight-year-old memory, Mom was thirty feet tall and Kathy was also very large. But now…

“Dainty,” Diamond muttered in disbelief. 

“What?” Mom asked.

“Nothing,” Diamond bit back down.

Oh.

Oh no. 

Amethyst was wrong about Mom’s type. 

Mom’s type was dainty and just barely out of reach. 

Maybe...maybe it wasn’t so unrealistic to think of Mom adopting more kids...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here comes the part where I tell y'all to go back to that hint I gave you several chapters ago to see if anyone can guess what's coming next! ;)
> 
> Or, should I say...who is coming next...hehehehehehehe~
> 
> DIAMOND AND JASPER ARE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!


	14. Diamond's Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Human traditions were weird; it didn't matter how many times Jasper celebrated Halloween with Diamond, the tradition was still confusing to her. 
> 
> But...it was a tradition that Diamond looked forward to each year. So Halloween became a tradition she looked forward to as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't care that my clock says November 1, HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEN! If I had been smart, I would have written this sooner buuuuut I didn't. I'm sorry for any typos, I blasted through writing this unbeta'd because I wanted to get this out as quick enough for the holiday as I could and I've already overloaded poor Cape with a lot of material XD
> 
> This chapter isn't really part of the official story plot, it's more of just a special (I mean it is part of the story plot, it's just kind of separate from the timeline of the story, I mean, though I tried to keep it as close to the current storyline as possible). 
> 
> Also, fair warning, there is mention of Lapis in this special because Steven Halloween planning while wanting to hang out with all of the gems gets confusing and can lead to some conflicting feelings for Jasper and Diamond. I tried to handle the conversation as delicately as possible. I wanted to avoid it honestly, but I found that I couldn't, so this is just a warning in case anyone isn't okay with that. It's nothing bad, it's just Diamond being protective of their mama and Jasper having to talk them down and tell them it's okay for Steven to be friends with Lapis. 
> 
> In any case, HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEEEEN! 
> 
> (spoopy, scary skeletons!)

It was a lazy, late afternoon with Diamond. Jasper reclined in her chair in the living room reading a book while her child hunched over a pile of shirts of varying colors and badges to be sewn on. She glanced carefully at the clock. The sun was just beginning to set and while it was well before dinner time, Jasper wondered if she should get the bowl of candy ready since the tiniest humans would be trick-or-treating soon before it got too late. 

Halloween...what a bizarre tradition. You dress up just to get candy and then maybe even elect to get scared out of your mind? How could species with such short life spans even come up with such...weird traditions? 

To answer her own question, probably because humans had such a short life span. It was harder to get bored probably. And when confined to one planet it probably gave them the opportunity to brainstorm overly imaginative things as opposed to brainstorming the conquering of an entire solar system. 

Still, she had to admit that almost five years into Earth life Jasper still didn’t have a very good grasp of what the actual premise of Halloween was. Her first Halloween with Diamond certainly threw her for a loop, that was for sure. 

It snuck up on her out of nowhere too. It was a week before the holiday, in the middle of Kathy and David’s separation when emotions were still running high, when Jasper had to pick a very distressed Diamond up from school. 

 

_ “You okay, kiddo?” Jasper had asked on the walk home. Diamond shrugged, squeezing Jasper’s hand slightly. _

_ “Nothing,” they mumbled, glancing despondently at a little paper bag in their free hand. The quartz raised a brow but shrugged it off, figuring this would be a conversation over dinner. When the made it back to Kathy’s, Diamond didn’t even take the time to set the paper bag down on the kitchen table, they just dropped it on the floor and ran up to their room.  _

_ “Diamond?” Jasper called back, alarmed by the sudden outburst. She stood frozen in the doorway, still not 100% certain how to deal with upset children, or rather children in general. Rocking on her heels slightly, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. She glanced down at the bag, fought her curiosity and lost, then stooped down to pick it up. Examining the bag as she walked through the living room and into the kitchen she shuffled through more pieces of candy than could be healthy for a little kid until she found a handful of small cards.  _

_ Setting the bag on the table, Jasper opened one of the cards, struggling with some of the words scribbled on it (and fighting hard to ignore that it also had Diamond’s given name written square in the middle). Jasper picked up a handful more cards and tried to read them, getting stumped by that same word written over and over again.  _

_ It was an hour later when Kathy came home, letting out an exasperated groan, her bloodshot eyes the only indication that she was not in fact made of steel and was likely on the verge of tears about something probably David-related.  _

_ “You will not believe the day I have just had,” she snapped, ready to go into full vent mode. It had become a habit that, while Diamond did their homework upstairs, Kathy vented to Jasper about her latest exploits. Sometimes it involved David, usually it involved her divorce lawyer, most often it involved her overly conservative parents complaining about how divorce was something humans called a sin, and occasionally it involved overly nosy really unintelligent coworkers at her dead-end desk job (and frankly, the more she learned about human education the more Jasper thought Kathy needed to go back to college and get a graduate degree because she was too smart to be working at that office). A lot of times Kathy just needed a hug, a glass of wine, another hug, and to just generally hold on or maintain some form of physical contact with Jasper while she raged.  _

_ (Jasper didn’t mind the contact either. Hugs were quite nice, surprisingly. Especially when they came from Diamond and Kathy...nevermind that they usually only came from Diamond and Kathy.)  _

_ Today, however, Jasper needed some serious clarification before she could focus on what Kathy was saying.  _

_“So Julie went to highschool with David and me, right?” Kathy started, pouring wine to nearly the top of her glass. “Well, she’s still friends with him on Facebook and I’m having a boring day at work, as usual, when out of nowhere I get a text from her. And you know how he was supposed to be on a business trip? Well he--Jasper? Are you even listening?”_  

_Jasper glanced up from the gibberish she was still trying to figure out when she saw a very frustrated gaze pointed her direction._  

_ “Ah--sorry, I was trying to figure out what this card says,” Jasper explained. That...didn’t quite lessen the glare. If anything it made it worse. Sighing, Jasper tried to be helpful, “What did David do?” _

_ “He has a girlfriend, Jasper!” Kathy threw her hands up in the air in frustration. _

 " _What?” Jasper recoiled, “But you guys are still technically married...aren’t you?”_  

_ “Yes!” Kathy paced around the kitchen table angrily, making circles as she ranted, “And she looks like she’s not even graduated from college yet! She’s younger than me, she’s prettier than me, and for all I know David has been cheating this whole time because I’m apparently not good enough and--” _

_ “Kathy, Kathy, calm down,” Jasper hushed after the fourth lap around the table. She didn’t like seeing the woman get so worked up. She still didn’t know how to console a crying human, she didn’t understand emotions to begin with. But she was getting better at it. She at least figured out when to calm Kathy down and when to let her rant. Now it was time to calm her down, Jasper figured as she pulled the human into a hug. Kathy, in turn, buried her face into Jasper’s chest and heaved a few sobs before relaxing in her arms finally.  _

_ “Sorry,” Kathy mumbled.  _

_ “It’s okay,” Jasper said. “David’s just a clod and I would’ve smashed his gem three times over if it had been possible.” _

_ Kathy let out a soft chuckle at that, “Where do you think his gem would be if he had one?” _

_ “On his ass,” Jasper spat. “Because he is one.” _

_ Kathy spat out a full on laugh at that as she pulled out of her hug.  Jasper was still angry at David, but she was at least relieved to see Kathy smiling again. “Anyway, what were those cards you were reading?” _

_ “What?” Jasper blinked a few times before she remembered what she had been trying to decipher before the woman came back. “Oh. Uh, what’s...Hallo...ween?” _

_ “You mean the holiday?” Kathy asked.  _

_ “I don’t know,” Jasper shrugged. “Diamond just came out of school looking really upset and they had a bag full of candy and cards that said ‘happy Hallow’--’halo’--whatever that word is.” _

_ Kathy’s brow furrowed and she glanced down at the bag, picking up a few cards and inspecting it before her eyes widened suddenly and her face fell altogether.  _

_ “Oh no,” she gasped, looking up at Jasper. “I think they had a Halloween party at school today.” _

_ “Okay?” Jasper grimaced. “What does that mean?” _

_ “Uh…” Kathy looked around, not entirely sure what to do first before she said, “Hold that thought, but come upstairs with me and follow my lead.” _

_ Jasper was absolutely clueless when Kathy brought her up to Diamond’s room, even more confused when she saw the kid lying face-down on their bed, and hopelessly lost when Kathy sat down beside them asking, “Sweetie, do you want to go shopping for a Halloween costume?” _

_ Diamond made a muffled noise that sounded vaguely like a no. _

_ “Did Mommy and I miss a note from your teacher that said you had a party today?” _

_ Jasper fought hard to keep from visibly tensing after that question. She still wasn’t used to hearing the word ‘Mom’ used as a reference to her. And ‘Mommy’ was even more surreal.  _

_ Who entrusted her with the well-being of a child again? _

_ Diamond sat up, glancing at Kathy with a puckered out lip and puddles in their sweet eyes and almost immediately Jasper felt her gem crack with despair and she felt an intense need to pick the child up in her arms and shelter them away from any and all danger.  _

_Trying and failing to wipe tears out of their eyes, Diamond whimpered, “I didn’t show it to you guys…"_  

_ “Why not?” Kathy asked.  _

_ “Because no one’s ever let me go trick-or-treating before…” Diamond whimpered before they broke out into sobs altogether. Jasper instinctively lurched forward, sitting on the other side of Diamond. She didn’t scoop them up protectively in her arms because Kathy reached over and placed a hand on her arm, signaling for her to let her handle this.  _

_ Kathy gently stroked the child’s hair and said, “Diamond, I’m so so sorry. But it’s okay now. You have me and your mom. And I’m so sorry we didn’t know about the Halloween party at school, but this year, you get to go trick-or-treating as whoever you want to for Halloween?” _

_ Unable to control herself, Jasper asked in a hushed whisper, “What’s trick-or-treating?” _

_ “I’ll explain later,” Kathy mouthed.  _

_ Diamond looked at Kathy for a moment, then looked up at Jasper and blubbered, “Can I even go in a matching costume with mom?” _

_ “Wha?” Jasper asked while Kathy answered for her, “Of course, Diamond.” _

_ Rubbing their eyes for a moment and sniffling, Diamond’s composure slowly returned and a grin formed on their face. “Can-can I even go as Gohan from Dragon Ball Z?” _

_ Jasper looked from Kathy to Diamond and back in confusion. She knew who Gohan was because Diamond was obsessed with that cartoon and while Jasper was pretty sure the show fell under what Kathy deemed as “too violent”, it was still pretty entertaining to watch and Kathy hadn’t seen it yet and trusted Jasper way to much to monitor the kid’s television usage properly.  _

_ “Yes, you sure can,” Kathy grinned.  _

_ “Why would you be Gohan?” Jasper asked stupidly. Upon seeing Diamond’s face crumple, she struggled to backpedal, “I-I-I just mean that...Diamond’s way cooler to be than Gohan.” _

_ “But I can’t go as myself for Halloween, Mom!” Diamond whined. “I have to go in a costume! As another person! That’s the point!” _

_“O-oh,” Jasper shrugged. That still didn’t answer anything but she just went along with it, “Well. Gohan is a great costume then.”_  

_ The sparkle in Diamond’s eyes told Jasper that, while she didn’t know what she was saying, she at least said the right thing.  _

_ “Then-then can Mom go as Piccolo?!”  _

_ Jasper felt herself drawing another blank. _

_ “But...I’m not green.” _

_ Apparently, not being green, nor having ears and antenna didn’t matter for Halloween because apparently, stores sold body paint. It was the most botched up costume ever and the first time Jasper had worn anything akin to human clothes.  _

_ It felt...so weird. Kathy had draped a purple oversized (which was a feat and of itself to find something oversized for Jasper) shirt with pants over her, Diamond messily blotted green paint all over her body and wrapped her hair up in a bath towel and then took a white blanket and tied it around Jasper’s neck.  _

_And that was her costume._  

_ Diamond at least looked a little more put together. Jasper still felt slightly humiliated. She looked and felt ridiculous and Kathy didn’t even match with them (she was something called a vampire apparently). And to make matters worse, Amethyst offered to help out for the night but when she showed up, and as soon as Diamond asked where her costume was she immediately shape-shifted into…. _

_ Jasper. _

_ She shape-shifted into Jasper.  _

_ And she followed them around the entire night blurting out nonsense that was supposed to be an impression of her.  _

_ It wasn’t even a good impression! But Kathy and Diamond kept egging her on. It was embarrassing.  _

_ However, she hadn’t seen Diamond smile that much in several weeks. She hadn’t seen Kathy smile like that either. And a few houses down, when Diamond came trotting into Jasper’s arms with a half-full plastic Jack-O-Lantern and the biggest smile on their face, Jasper felt herself beginning to enjoy the night. She started smiling too, and before she knew it she was laughing and enjoying the night and at one point Diamond handed Jasper their Jack-O-Lantern full of candy to carry so they could walk hand in hand with both her and Kathy, occasionally skipping and jumping to allow them to swing Diamond gently.  _

_ Of course, no one had thought to monitor Diamond’s candy consumption afterwards until they were running around like a maniac and bouncing off the walls. Thankfully, their sugar high came down as quick as it came and they passed out on the living room floor, sleeping soundly and allowing Kathy and Jasper to retreat to the bathroom to wash that awful body paint off of her.  _

_ “I am never painting myself again,” Jasper grunted as Kathy helped wipe her face down, tossing another now-green rag in the bathtub to deal with later.  _

_ “Yeah, but you enjoyed yourself and you know it,” Kathy chuckled.  _

_ “Hmph,” Jasper grunted in response. The bravado earned her a flick in the forehead before she relented, “Okay, yeah, that was a lot of fun.”  _

_Kathy chuckled, “I had fun too.”_  

_ Unable to contain a smile, Jasper glanced up at the woman. She wanted to hug her, honestly. Jasper didn’t know why, Kathy wasn’t upset and the situation didn’t really warrant a hug. But...she definitely wanted to be a little closer with her. Somehow.  _

_ While Jasper fought to keep from acting on the strange feeling that overcame her, Kathy carefully brushed the hair out of the gem’s face and smiled, “I’m so glad I met you, Jasper.” _

 

Halloween didn’t get any less strange and confusing as the year’s went on. If anything, just when Jasper thought she was getting the hang of what to expect from the tradition, Diamond came up to her and suddenly announced that they were too old to trick-or-treat. 

They had seemed rather distraught by this too. They loved trick-or-treating, but none of their friends were going this year and they were “hitting that age”, according to Kathy and Greg and Vidalia, where it was apparently “not cool” for kids to be hanging out with their parents. 

Jasper didn’t understand that last part. If anything, the older Diamond got the more they wanted to be around and be close with her. Though she did notice their classmates and friends beginning to complain about their parents when they were over doing homework or hanging out.  

The quartz frankly didn’t understand any of this and didn’t know how to remedy Diamond’s conflicting feelings until one Peridot came in clutch. 

The first year trick-or-treating with Diamond, Jasper had had Kathy for help. Then the year’s after that, even though Connie had announced she had outgrown the tradition, they would accompany Diamond on trick-or-treating adventures. But this year since Diamond had decided they were too old, the two had made other plans to go with Sheena to a Halloween party, and thus drag Pearl along with. 

Diamond and Jasper had been invited to join them, but that was before Pearl had found out that Steven had invited Lapis Lazuli without realizing Pearl had extended an invitation to Jasper. 

Frankly, Jasper thought it would have been good for Diamond to go with the Crystal Gems to an outing for the holiday. From what she had been told, Lapis didn’t ask about Jasper and therefore didn’t know about Diamond nor Diamond’s affiliation with her. Plus, it sounded like Lapis had done a lot of healing and would have been very friendly with Diamond regardless. 

Despite that, however, Jasper still had a sick twinge in her stomach whenever the idea came to her mind.

It was just...it was Lapis. 

And Jasper still wasn’t ready to see Lapis. 

And because she knew full well what Lapis Lazuli was capable of, she wasn’t sure she wanted Diamond around Lapis either. Even if those underlying fears had been irrational. 

She tried to fight those fears off and tell Diamond that it was okay to go with them, but Diamond had had none of it. They turned their nose up at the notion and got surprisingly hostile with Steven when he came over to apologize for the miscommunication.

“Diamond, I’m sorry--” Steven pleaded, but they ignored him. Groaning, Jasper crossed her arms.

“Diamond, at least look at Steven when he’s talking to you,” she chided. 

“Why should I!?” They spat back. 

“Diamond, it was an honest mistake--”

“So it was a mistake to hang out with-with  _ her _ ?!”

“Diamond,” Jasper snapped. “Calm down, she’s not a bad person.”

“Yes she is!”

“You haven’t even met her!”

“I don’t need to! She hurt my mom! Really really bad!” Diamond shouted back, tears welling in their eyes. “She hurt you!”

Jasper opened her mouth to respond, but found herself at a loss for words suddenly. Part of her wanted to say that it wasn’t Lapis’s fault, part of her wanted to say that she hurt Lapis just as much. The logical parent in her wanted to use this as a lesson to teach Diamond not to judge someone before they even met the person…

But she couldn’t.

True, for all she knew, Lapis had healed and moved on. But Jasper...Jasper hadn’t. She was still afraid. She was still hurting. 

“Just,” she finally voiced, “don’t be mad at Steven. He and Lapis were friends way before I even came to earth. He didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

After a pointed glare from Diamond, Jasper added, “he didn’t mean to hurt my feelings either. And he didn’t hurt my feelings. It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Thankfully, after that, Diamond forgave Steven and things returned to normal. But that hadn’t solved the trick-or-treating dilemma. 

Which again, is where Peridot came in handy. 

It was the next day when Steven came over, Peridot in tow, cheering excitedly announcing something about solving all of Jasper’s problems.  

“I have a lot of problems,” Jasper muttered with narrowed eyes.

“No, no, I mean, Peridot’s never gone trick-or-treating before!”

“Could someone please explain to me what that even means!?” Peridot shook her arms frantically as she yelled. Out of the corner of her eye, Jasper saw Diamond come down the stairs. 

“For Halloween,” Diamond clarified, “It’s a tradition to get candy.”

“What’s...Halloween?” Peridot cringed. “Laaaaaa--I mean, my roommate keeps mentioning this ‘Halloween’ and I still have no clue what it is.”

“How do you still not know what that is?” Jasper found herself asking. “You watched the Camp Pining Hearts Special at least a hundred times.”

“One hundred and sixty two times, actually,” Peridot corrected. “And I thought it was just something they did for the sake of being scary.”

“No, silly, Halloween is a holiday!” Diamond grinned. “And you can choose to watch scary movies or be scary, but I don’t like that stuff, I just like the candy and the costumes.”

“Okay,” Peridot narrowed her eyes, “so where does this...trick-or-treating come into play?” 

“And that, my dea Peridot, is why I brought you here,” Steven placed his hands on his hips, looking very pleased. “Because in this house lies the trick-or-treating master.”

Peridot glanced suspiciously up at the quartz soldier, asking, “...Jasper?”

“Guess again,” Jasper grunted. 

Peridot gazed back at Steven who cheered, “Diamond!” 

With a red face, Diamond ducked behind Jasper, insisting that they were no master, but with some coaxing and Peridot’s continued confusion, Steven had finally convinced Diamond that taking Peridot trick-or-treating was totally acceptable. 

And thus the Halloween excitement began again in the Quartz household. 

Because she loved free candy, Amethyst immediately signed up to join them on another trick-or-treating outing and with a relatively large group, Diamond took it upon themselves to make a group costume.  

And because the group consisted mostly of a space-faring race, they were insistent that everyone needed to go as random crew members of the Starship Enterprise from the original Star Trek. Diamond and Jasper had gotten weirdly into that show (what could she say? It was pretty accurate) and Amethyst had caught enough glimpses of the old series that she knew to call dibs on anything but a Red Shirt. Peridot required a crash-course on the show’s premise but Diamond decided for her that she would be a science officer and picked out a blue shirt. 

Somehow Diamond found a gold shirt that fit Jasper and decided that she needed to be one Captain Kirk. The kid had also made one too many trips to the Halloween store with Alexis and their other school mates because they had come home with a pair of elf ears and a wig, deciding that they would be Jasper’s Spock. The night before Halloween, however, Garnet had come over asking if she could join the group. 

“Yeah of course,” Jasper said. “But uh...I thought you didn’t like trick-or-treating?”

Garnet was silent for a moment before she answered, “I like your group costume better.”

“Okay Garnet! Do you want to wear red, blue, or gold?” Diamond chirped happily while they sorted through the shirts they had gathered for everyone.

“Could I possibly wear purple?” Garnet asked.

 Diamond’s face fell, “Why purple?”

“Because, like the color of my gems, Sapphire has the mind of a blue-shirted science officer, while Ruby is a red-shirt. So I don’t know which to choose,” Garnet explained.

Diamond stared at Garnet in confusion for a long time. Fusion was still a really new concept for them; they had only just met Ruby and Sapphire recently when Garnet had split up over some mundane dispute, so while Diamond had long ago been introduced to the concept they had only recently begun to understand how it worked. And with a Mom whose only attempts at fusion ended in complete disaster, Jasper was no help in explaining how it worked. 

In short, Diamond’s expression looked something akin to a printer that couldn’t process whatever document had been sent to it so it just spit out a blank piece of paper. 

Instead of helping to explain anything, Jasper found herself incredulously asking, “Why would Ruby be a red shirt?” 

“It fits her personality,” Garnet answered. 

“You  _ do  _ realize that you’re implying Ruby would be the first to get herself killed in  _ any _ given situation...right?

There was a long pause. 

“Yes,” Garnet finally answered.

...Jasper didn’t feel like contesting that statement. 

“How about you just be Uhura?” Diamond suggested.

“That works too,” Garnet nodded, giving Diamond a thumbs up while phasing into an outfit similar to what the character wore on the show. 

Except it was the same shade of purple as Garnet’s usual attire.

“Uhura wears red, Garnet!” Diamond protested. 

“Not anymore,” Garnet retorted. Diamond tried to fight the fusion on that, but only lost the battle and grumpily returned to making shirts for everyone else. 

Which brought Jasper back to the present day. Jasper poured candy into a bowl and then set it by the door for the kids that came by early. She glanced over at Diamond, who was sewing the last Starfleet badge on, a small smile on their face.

“How’s it going there, Little Spock?” Jasper asked, putting her hands in her pockets as she leaned against the wall. 

“Good!” they cheered. “I’m almost done!” 

“It’s looking really good, Kiddo,” the gem praised. “Now, what do you want for dinner?”

“Um,” Diamond thought out loud, “Could we heat up some pizza maybe?”

“How about you pick something healthy to go with the pizza then,” Jasper chuckled. 

Diamond groaned at that but didn’t fight the suggestion, “Peas and carrots?”

“You got it.”

“Hey, Mom?” Diamond asked before Jasper had turned her back fully. Jasper turned around to find Diamond grinning and holding their arms out for a hug. Shaking her head, the quartz walked over to Diamond, knelt down, and pulled them into a tight hug. Giggling, Diamond added, “I’m really happy I get to trick-or-treat one more time.”

“Me too, Kiddo, “Jasper smiled. “Happy Halloween.”


	15. Mama's Gonna Buy You a Diamond Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's mother's day, and there's nothing that could make the day better than being spoiled by your own kid, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET ME TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM ABOUT THIS CHAPTER
> 
> 17 PAGES AND NOT EVEN SORRY I DIDN'T BREAK IT UP TO BE MORE MANAGEABLE.

Jasper didn’t have a sense of smell, and yet for some reason she could always tell when Diamond was trying to cook something. 

Maybe it was that maternal instinct Kathy once told her about. 

It was weird, Diamond knew that they weren’t allowed to use the stove without supervision. Yet, for some reason, at least once every year (seemingly the same time of year too, it was weird), the quartz would wake up before the sun somehow  _ sensing _ that food was on the stove. And sure enough when she trudged down the stairs she caught the kid red-handed. They always seemed to protest Jasper’s ushering back to bed but never gave a clear reason as to why. 

This year, however, by the time that she could tell a certain someone was messing around in the kitchen at an odd hour, she opened an eye to find them standing by her bedside, gripping the hem of their shirt in anxiety. 

“Mom…?” they asked softly. “I-uh...I wasn’t supposed to wake you yet but I need your help.”

Jasper lifted her head off the pillow, trying to blink sleep out of her eyes and sighed. “Please tell me you weren’t using the stove without me.”

“I’m  _ twelve _ , Mom! I can handle it,” Diamond pouted. Jasper looked the kid up and down. They were rocking side to side. They definitely could not handle it. 

“If you’re hungry I can make breakfast—”

“No!” Diamond shouted in protest. “You don’t need to! I mean—well, I need help...uh. Mom, can you get something out of the oven for me?”

“You turned the oven on!?” Jasper yelped, throwing the covers off of her. “Diamond!”

“I know what I’m doing!” Diamond cried out. “I baked it! Just. Mom, please, it’s really hot, I’m afraid to take it out by myself. Can you just get it out of the oven before it burns, and then go right back to bed?”

“Ugggh, alright fine,” Jasper groaned. “But why do I have to go back to bed?”

“Mooooom!” Diamond whined. “You have to!”

“Okay, okay,” Jasper grumbled, stretching as she got out of bed. Whatever Diamond had in the oven they must have been really worried about it burning because they tugged on the drawstrings of her shorts with all their might as if they had the physical strength to move an eight foot tall quartz. 

Internally, Jasper let out a secondary groan. She could not believe that she had actually come to enjoy wearing human clothes. Especially sports bras and shorts to bed. She didn’t know, there was just something...liberating about having her legs and abdomen exposed and the shorts added a nice breezy affect. 

Clods, she’d become more of an Earthling than Amethyst was. How embarrassing.

“Mom, hurry up!” Diamond whined, yanking her hand as they trotted down the stairs. 

“Diamond, calm down,” Jasper hushed. “I’m coming.”

Her child let out a grunt and scampered down the last two stairs, practically sliding into the kitchen. They all but launched themselves at the oven to lower the door.

“Hey,” Jasper barked. “Let Mom do that.”

“Okay,” Diamond relented, still bouncing on their feet. The gem chuckled to herself as she stooped over the oven and pulled the door open. She glanced at the item inside and raised her eyebrows in surprise. 

French Toast. 

Baked. 

You could bake french toast?

“Hey, this looks pretty good, Di,” Jasper mused, reaching into the oven.

“Wait! Mom, you need oven mitts!” Diamond shrieked. “Or else you’ll burn yourself!”

Jasper shot a sideways glance at the kid, mentally noting that, no, she wasn’t going to burn herself. But Diamond would, so she followed her own kitchen rules and grabbed the mitt the kid must’ve left on the stove before they gave up and woke Jasper. 

“Also, be careful about leaving things on the stove, even when it’s off,” Jasper said gently as she pulled the french toast out of the oven. The toast was a light golden brown and looked to have been carefully placed in the pan. There was glaze over the toast and everything as well. “Wow, this looks really good Diamond, I can’t wait to dig in. Can you get some plates?”

“No!” Diamond yelped. 

“What?” Jasper felt her brow furrow. 

“You have to go back to bed, you promised!”

“Yeah, but—Diamond—”

“Moooooom,” Diamond whined. “You got the toast out of the oven, now you have to go to bed!”

Jasper had to stand in place for a moment to process the fact that her own child was ramming the entirety of their body weight into her, and were nearly sliding to a forty-five degree angle just trying to make her budge. 

“Why do I have to go to bed?” Jasper asked, feeling a little confused as to why Diamond wouldn’t want to hang out with her. 

“Just! You gotta! Go back to bed!” Diamond insisted, pushing so hard against Jasper they almost lost their footing. 

“Alright, alright,” Jasper huffed, taking a small step forward. Diamond wrapped their arms around her waist to keep from losing balance while they regained their footing. Surprisingly, Diamond would not let up and continued pushing her all the way up the stairs. 

“Mom, move your butt!” they insisted. “The french toast is going to go cold!” 

“Well, we could eat it—”

“In a bit! Go back to bed!” they commanded. 

“Okay!” Jasper huffed. “I’m going!”

Diamond finally released her and ran back down the stairs, announcing, “I promise I’ll clean up!”

The gem grunted in response. Great, she hadn’t even looked around long enough to see what state Diamond had left the kitchen in. As she reclined back into her bed she wondered how much Diamond would clean up while she was “asleep”. Out of habit she glanced at her phone to check the time and involuntarily spat out a curse. 

Diamond’s case worker was supposed to come over today. 

Not that that was a bad thing. Mr. Johnson still had to check in every six months now just to make sure everything was still okay. Diamond had been a tough child for the adoption agency to work with, especially early on. Kevin had mentioned multiple times that the poor kid had it rough in the beginning because they were born sick. He also wasn’t the first person to mention that their birth mother had a lot of problems, which was why she gave them up and Diamond was born ill. 

Annoying still, Jasper couldn’t read between those lines for the life of her, no one would clarify what exact illness struck them, and she didn’t think Diamond would have any memory of what sort of illness they may have had so she didn’t ask them. 

But, regardless, Diamond was happy and healthy and having a much better time now that they were in middle school and that was all that mattered to Jasper. 

Setting the phone down, Jasper closed her eyes for a moment and slipped back into a light slumber. 

It felt like mere moments later when the sensation that someone was standing over her woke Jasper up again. Opening an eye, she saw Diamond standing by her bedside, looking mighty pleased and holding a tray.

“Good morning!” they chirped. 

“Uh, how long was I asleep for?” Jasper mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes all over again. 

“Just an hour or so,” they said. “I made you breakfast.”

“I can tell,” the gem chuckled, sitting up. “Can I go downstairs now?”

“No,” Diamond grinned. Jasper felt her face fall but before she could respond, Diamond placed the tray over her lap. “I made you breakfast in bed!”

Jasper stared down at the plate in front of her. They had added tea and a fruit cup with the french toast. She didn’t think about the state of the kitchen, and regardless she was awfully touched by the gesture. 

“Aww, thanks Diamond,” Jasper grinned. She glanced up at her child who was practically beaming. “But where’s your food?”

“Oh!” Diamond shrugged. “There’s plenty more downstairs. I’ll eat some in a bit.”

“Oh come on,” Jasper insisted, setting the tray aside so she could reach over and pick Diamond up by the waist to set them on her lap. “A meal’s not worth eating unless I can be with you. Besides, there’s plenty on my plate to share for now.”

“Okay,” Diamond giggled, grabbing the tray and setting it on both their laps. 

They had cleared the plate before Jasper finally managed to ask, “So what did I do to earn such a sweet gift from you?”

“Oh yeah!” Diamond chirped again, setting the tray aside and rolling off of the gem’s lap and onto the floor. “Wait here!”

“Okay,” Jasper grunted, watching Diamond scamper out of her room. She could hear a few drawers slamming nextdoor in Diamond’s room before they came running back into her room holding a small box. They launched themselves onto the bed, managing to land on Jasper’s lap, and pushed the box towards her. 

“Happy Mother’s Day!” Diamond cheered. 

Jasper coughed out a laugh, “Happy what?”

Diamond’s smile fell to a pout again. “Mother’s Day! You know, we would make cards for our moms at school! I tried to make breakfast in bed for you the last couple of years but you kept catching me…”

“Oh,” Jasper felt herself deflate a bit. Oh. “Diamond, I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay.” They grinned. “I wasn’t suppose to use the stove anyway. But this year my english teacher, Mr. Milles, told us how he and his kids bake french toast for his wife every Mother’s Day. And I know how to use the oven well enough so he gave me the recipe!” 

“Wow, I know you guys would do, like, appreciation gifts at school, but I hadn’t realized there was an entire holiday for it,” the quartz mused. “But still, you didn’t have to do any of this for me. I’m just happy being your mom.”

“Yeah but,” Diamond started, glancing down at the box in their hand, “you deserve it. So..for this year I saved up all of my allowance, and Steven took me to a jewelry store to help me make these for you.”

Jasper stared at the box as she took it in hand. She gingerly lifted the lid off and stared down at two silver badges glimmering in the morning light. 

“They’re called dog tags,” Diamond explained. “You were a soldier on Homeworld. And on Earth, soldiers wear dog tags. They wear them around their necks so I thought I could make you a set to be engraved to look like if gems got to wear them too!”

“Diamond,” Jasper mused aloud. She lifted the silver chain out of the box, watching as the two badges clanked together. She took one in hand and examined the writings. 

“I...don’t actually know what goes on dog tags so I kind of just had to make it up as I went,” Diamond shrugged. Jasper chuckled as she read one side:

FACET-NINE

Blinking several times, Jasper turned the tag over to find the other side had her cut and rank engraved on it. She then took hold of the second tag and read “J. Quartz” and when she turned that tag over she nearly felt tears pooling in her eyes. 

BEST MOM EVER

"Do you like it?" Diamond asked, bouncing slightly.

“Diamond,” Jasper said again. She glanced up through watery eyes to find the kid practically squirming on her lap, beaming and asking if she liked the gift over and over again. “Of course I like it, I love it. And I love  _ you _ ,” she said as she fastened the chain around her neck. She then pulled Diamond into a tight hug, planting a kiss on their forehead as she did so. “Thank you.”

“Happy Mother’s Day!” they cheered. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, kiddo,” Jasper sighed. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“You’re the best mom ever, that’s what you did,” Diamond squeezed their arms around Jasper’s neck just a little tighter. “That’s what the tag says, after all.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jasper chuckled. “Stop being a sap and go take a shower. Kevin’s going to be here soon, and knowing him he’s going to want to take us to Funland.”

“Funland has really good corn dogs,” Diamond grinned, releasing Jasper of the hug.

“You just ate!”

“Well, maybe I’ll be hungry again by the time we get to Funland!”

“Just go shower, you goon,” Jasper chuckled. Diamond gave Jasper another hug and kissed her on the cheek before climbing out of bed and meandered into the bathroom. The gem rose from bed and glanced at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall. She was impressed that Diamond had found a chain as long as they did, for the tags hung neatly on below her collar. She thumbed the tags for a moment and debated whether or not to phase into her uniform or put on human clothes. 

It was around that moment when her phone went off, and thanks to Diamond setting a specific text tone, she knew it was Kathy. 

_ “Happy Mother’s Day!” _

Jasper felt herself smirking at the message, then typed her reply out:

_ “Funny. This isn’t the first time you’ve sent me that kind of text, and it took me until just now to realize that Mother’s Day is actually a thing you humans celebrate.” _

Jasper waited for a moment as Kathy typed out her own response, and was startled briefly when the first message she fired back was an ellipses. 

_ “You didn’t know?” _

_ “No. Why would I?” _

_ “I don’t know, maybe all of the advertisements and the cards Diamond would bring home from school would tip you off? I honestly assumed you knew!” _

_ “...I am realizing that my tendency to pretend I know what’s going on when I don’t has led a lot of people to assume that I know things.” _

_ “LOL can you provide an example?” _

_ “Not...right now…Kathy could we just talk about something else that isn’t my complete ignorance?” _

_ “Awww, you little Care Bear!!! Well, I don’t think you’re ignorant~” _

_ “Kathy.” _

_ “Sorry.” _

_ “Also I’m not little. And what’s a Care Bear????” _

Instead of answering her question, Kathy simply asked,  _ “Did Diamond do anything for you this year?” _

_ “Yeah, they made me breakfast in bed. Also, do you know what dog tags are?” _

_ “That’s so cute! Wait, I thought they couldn’t use the stove yet. And yes I do.” _

_ “Well, they used the oven. And then had to wake me up because they didn’t want to pull anything hot out of the oven. And then they made me go back to bed.” _

_ “That is too precious. Why is that kid so perfect?” _

_ “I wish I knew. In any case, Diamond decided to save up their allowance and had dog tags engraved for me. They have my facet, cut, rank, and added a side that says ‘best mom ever’ on it.” _

Jasper had to pause for a moment as Kathy typed at least fifty exclamation points. 

_ “THAT IS SO CUUUUUTE!!! Are you wearing them right now?! I want to see pictures!” _

_ “Yes, I am. Let me take them off and I’ll try to get a picture of the engravings…” _

_ “You don’t need to take them off, just selfie it.” _

_ “....what in the stars is a selfie?” _

_ “It’s a picture of yourself with the front-facing camera.” _

_ “Kathy, I’m not an Era-2 gem, I have minimal knowledge of how to operate advanced technology, much less these bulky contraptions you humans use.” _

_ “Well, I don’t know what Era-2 means, but I’m going to assume that means you’re an old fart.” _

_ “...I’m not that old…” _

_ “I thought you said your were around 5,000?” _

_ “In human years I’d say closer to 5,700. Give or take a few centuries.” _

_ “Just. Open your camera app, Jasp.” _

_ “OK.” _

_ “In the top right corner there’s going to be a little camera icon. Tap that and it’ll open front facing camera.” _

Jasper grumbled to herself as she tried to follow directions. It took several taps of the small icon (why were these icons so small!? Couldn’t they make any quartz-friendly phones!?) but when she did hit it she watched the screen change and suddenly she was staring at herself a little too up close. 

“Oh, that’s weird,” Jasper yelped. However, as she moved the phone around and watched the angles of her reflection change, she suddenly realized how Diamond got so many similar looking photos of themselves posted on Facebook. She didn’t quite understand why Kathy wanted a selfie over Jasper just getting pictures of the dog tags themselves (after all, you couldn’t really see the engravings from this angle), but never the less she finally found an angle that got the tags in the photo, took it, and sent it to Kathy without a single thought. 

What Kathy responded back with, caught the quartz even more off guard. 

_ “Are you wearing a sports bra?” _

It took at least five minutes before Jasper could formulate an answer. 

_ “Yes? What does that have to do with the dog tags?” _

_ “Sorry, I just haven’t seen you in human clothes before! Aww, and those dog tags too. I LOVE it!” _

_ “You love...what, exactly? The dog tags or me in human clothes?” _

_ “Well. Both. Both is good.” _

_ “You’ve been babysitting your nephew again haven’t you.” _

_ “He just really loves that movie!” _

Jasper rolled her eyes, and upon hearing the water turn off in the bathroom, realized that she needed to change before Diamond caught her texting again. 

Perhaps human clothes would be a good option today…

As the gem shrugged her shirt on she looked back at her phone and saw a second message. 

_ “...also nice abs.” _

Jasper coughed loudly, subconsciously running a hand over her stomach. 

_ “You...like my abs?” _

There was a long pause. 

_ “Well! Who wouldn’t? You could cut knives with that six-pack, it looks hard as a rock!” _

_ “Well, I would hope so since I am, in fact, a rock.” _

_ “Ha. Ha. You’re so funny.” _

_ “You’re laughing and you know it.” _

_ “I wouldn’t say laughing, per say…” _

_ "Dammit, Kathy, I’m funny!” _

_ “Yes, ma’am!” _

Jasper would have fired back a response but then Diamond interrupted her.

“Who you texting?” they asked, poking their head into the doorway. Jasper yelped and nearly dropped her phone in her surprise. 

“I—! Uh—! No one! I’m...checking my emails!” Jasper stammered. Honestly, she didn’t know why she even felt the need to lie to her child. Or act so flustered. Such weak behavior was worthy of at least a crack in her gemstone for sure. Clods almighty this was embarrassing. 

“Why?” Diamond asked, their brow furrowing.

“I just…” Jasper glanced around the room. “Got several requests for a new video.”

“Oh,” Diamond’s eyes lit up. “What were they?”

“You’ll see,” Jasper chuckled, straightening herself while mentally applauding her smoothness. 

“Aww,” Diamond pouted. 

“You look ready,” Jasper noted. “I see you’re wearing those...galaxy pants again.”

“I sure am!” Diamond beamed. Jasper glanced the kid’s attire. They had a simple gray shirt, a dark blue jacket, a gray beanie that Diamond seemed to prefer wearing over just brushing their hair, and these hideous, hideous pants that had galaxy print on them. They were cuffed at the ankles, had an elastic waistband, and loose everywhere else. And yet they weren’t sweatpants. They were some other weird material that Jasper couldn’t figure out. 

Worse yet, these were not their only pair of galaxy print pants. They had  _ leggings _ too. 

But, who was Jasper to judge Diamond’s wardrobe choices? She commissioned a cape to be made while she was on homeworld for the pure and simple purpose of looking fabulous and intimidating at the same time. 

If anything, their sense of fashion just proved to Jasper that Diamond was meant to be her kid after all. 

“Is the kitchen clean yet?”

“Yeah, I just have to put some dishes away when the dishwasher’s done running.”

Jasper helped Diamond put the last of everything away. She had to admit, she was impressed at how well they cleaned up before she had come downstairs. Kevin came over shortly after and, surprisingly, he was only dropping by for a short while because he had another child in Beach City that he was assigned to and didn’t have time to see Funland. 

“Awww,” Diamond harrumphed, “I was looking forward to corn dogs.”

“Sorry, Di,” Kevin deflated. “Next time, I promise.”

“I showered for nothing!”

“You showered to start your day,” Jasper corrected. She was met with a little pink tongue sticking out in her direction, so Jasper retaliated by grabbing the hem of their beanie and pulling it down in front of their face. 

“Hey!” they protested. 

“What?” Jasper teased. “We can go to the Sky Arena after this and you can show me what Pearl taught you this week.”

“Okay,” Diamond sighed. 

Kevin usually didn’t have much on the agenda when he came to meet with Jasper and Diamond, really he was just there to gauge how things were going, and then talk to each of them individually, and typically Diamond went first. 

Jasper had to admit that as much as she didn’t mind Kevin, and as much as Diamond enjoyed seeing him (after all, he had been their only constant long before Jasper came into the picture), the individual interviews always made the quartz a nervous wreck. Sometimes she wondered if she was doing something wrong, and if she was if Kevin would find out about it, and if he did if he would have to take Diamond away. She nearly had a heart attack when Kevin found out about Diamond’s sword training and said he had to sit in on their practices to make sure they weren’t too violent, so to speak. It was a relief when Pearl had presented it as a human sport called fencing, but the ordeal had shot Jasper’s nerves, and left her corruption enflamed for almost a month after that, and she had to fight down the urge to pull Diamond from Pearl’s lessons out of fear of them getting hurt. 

And today, Diamond’s interview was going a lot longer than usual. And Kevin’s face was unusually even when he came trotting down the stairs from Diamond’s room to meet Jasper in the living room.

Fighting to keep her own composure, Jasper noted, “You look nervous. Is everything okay?”

“Oh yes, everything’s fine,” Kevin said in a tone that seemed like he was hiding something. “Diamond spent a deal of time showing me their honor roll certificates.”

“They’ve had a 4.0 all school year,” Jasper noted. “They’re very proud of that. And so am I.”

“As you should be,” Kevin grinned, releasing some of the tension in the room. “Tell me, have you thought of enrolling Diamond in any sports teams? They talked a lot about how much they love fencing and going on runs with you in the morning.”

Jasper found herself surprised by that question. Odd, Diamond had never indicated being interested in joining sports teams at school, besides… “Well, Diamond told me that all of the teams at school are separated by boys and girls, and while technically they could join the girls’ teams...I don’t think that’s something they’d be comfortable with.”

“Well, are there any school clubs they’re interested in?”

“Diamond registered to take band next year, I know that,” Jasper thought aloud. “Their friend has an older brother who plays in the marching band at high school and that’s something they’re interested in getting involved in. May I ask why you’re asking?”

“Oh, it’s just something I wanted to see if either of you had thought about,” Kevin answered. “Diamond is very involved in their studies, and especially as things could potentially get busier at home I think it would be nice if they have some extracurriculars at school, especially now that they’re settled and have been here for a few years now.”

“Yeah, that is a good idea—wait,” Jasper squawked, a red flag sticking up in her head.

She’d been hanging out with Pearl too much. 

“What do you mean by busy?” she asked.

Kevin paused, looking like he had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. “Well, I, uh...needed to talk to you about something that could have an effect on your schedule, yes.”

Well, that made Jasper feel so much better.

“Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong? What’s wrong?”

“Jasper, Jasper, it’s okay, you’ve done nothing wrong,” Kevin insisted. “I’m so sorry, I’m just getting ahead of myself.”

“Okay, but why would it get busy?” Jasper asked again. “Seriously, if I did something wrong I’ll fix it, you know that.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” Kevin assured. “On the contrary, you’ve done everything right. Diamond was one of our toughest cases, you know. And you’ve turned their life right around.”

“Well, it was a mutual experience,” the quartz mused, fiddling with her new dog tags. 

“Yes, well, you certainly are amazing,” Kevin insisted. “Honestly, babies born with addiction as severe as Diamond’s was don’t usually end this well. We didn’t know what would happen.”

“Well, sometimes you just have to—” Jasper started some kind of rambling and she had completely forgotten where that tangent was going to go the moment she processed one word: “Addiction?”

Kevin’s face paled and he froze, halfway to reaching into his briefcase.

“Jasper,” Kevin said with an even voice, “I’ve mentioned that their birth mother had several problems and they were born ill.”

“And that’s all you’ve ever said about that,” Jasper fought hard to keep her voice level. “That’s all  _ anyone _ ever says about that. Including their doctor.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kevin said, his shoulders slacking. “I thought—what did you think that meant?”

“That Diamond’s mother had some kind of issue and they were born sick!” Jasper’s hands flew into the air. “I’m a  _ gem _ , Kevin! Gems don’t have nuanced language, we state the facts and that’s it! No one ever told me anything about addiction! What happened? How was that possible!?”

“Diamond’s mother was a heroin addict,” Kevin finally admitted. 

Jasper had seen enough stories on the news and read through enough health books to know what heroin was by this point. And suddenly, it felt like the rug had been pulled out from underneath her. 

“What?” the gem’s voice sounded distant in her ear. 

“I’m sorry, Jasper, I honestly thought you had realized that,” Kevin ran his hand through his thinning hair. “She...their mother was in and out of rehab for several years before she got pregnant with Diamond. She used heavily while pregnant and, because of that, Diamond was born very small and very weak and very heavily addicted to heroin. As soon as they were born they were sent into detox, and their mother was told she had to be clean in order to see her child. When she came out of rehab the last time she had Diamond for two years before she relapsed again and then overdosed.”

“You’re kidding,” Jasper felt the air sucked out of her like a vacuum. The news hit her harder in the gut than Smokey Quartz’s yoyo ever had. “Does...does Diamond even remember that? Do they know what happened?”

“They know,” Kevin nodded. “How much they remember, I’m not sure. That’s not a topic they’ve ever really opened up to me about.”

“Oh my stars,” Jasper muttered. “I...I had no idea.”

“Jasper, I know this is hard news to take,” Kevin began, “but this changes nothing about Diamond, or who they are, or how amazing of a mom you are to them. What matters is that they are happy and healthy, you’ve said that yourself before, remember?”

“Yes, sir,” Jasper forced herself to breath. “But...clods, what do I do?”

“Go about everything as usual,” Kevin said. “Honestly, I think Diamond assumed that you knew as well. And for all I know, they have no recollection of what happened.”

“So I shouldn’t bring it up then?” Jasper asked. 

“It’s up to you, but I would let them initiate that conversation first,” Kevin answered. 

“Okay,” Jasper nodded. “I can do that.”

“Are you okay?”

“Of course,” Jasper tried to convince herself, “My kid is happy and healthy and enjoying school a lot more than last year. That’s what matters.”

“Good!” Kevin smiled, he then reached back into his brief case and pulled out a file folder. “Well, part of the reason I took so long with Diamond is that, well, as I was saying before, you turned one of our toughest kids into Beach City’s golden child. And I was talking with a lot of my colleagues and...we wanted to ask you if you would be willing to foster a child with a case similar to Diamond’s.”

What?

Jasper? Taking in another child?

Well...that would certainly make things busier.

“What?” Jasper cringed. “Kevin, Diamond came into my life by complete accident. I love being a mom and everything but I’m not sure I can repeat what happened with Diamond.”

“You don’t have to,” Kevin insisted. “The child is only fourteen months old and has spent his entire life in the hospital. He just needs someone to take him in and provide a sense of security.”

“Fourteen months?” Jasper blinked. “So he’s a baby?”

“Yes.”

“Kevin,” Jasper guffawed. “Look at me. I’m a quartz. A baby would fit in my hand at best. I can’t take care of a baby!” 

“It would just be for a few months tops,” Kevin pleaded. “Please. He needs somewhere to go, and if anyone can provide a sense of stability for this child it’s you. Dr. Maheshwaran has been tending to most of his medical needs, and has said repeatedly that you would be the perfect candidate to foster him.”

“Well, that’s the other thing too,” Jasper mumbled, hesitantly taking the file folder that Kevin had been slowly pushing towards her. She opened it up to find a picture of a baby boy covered in surgical scars on the front page. He had light brown skin and chubby cheeks and the darkest head of hair Jasper had ever seen, it was almost as black as an onyx back on Homeworld—one of the more rare, and certainly the most captivating of gems in Jasper’s opinion. Even through his tears in the photograph she could make out small little dimples on either of his cheeks. “I’m not fostering this kid, Kevin.”

“But Jasper—”

The gem handed Kevin back the file folder and knitted her eyebrows. “If I take anyone else in I’m just gonna plan on adopting them. You said his case is similar to Diamond’s; if I do take him in I won’t let him wind up bouncing from home to home and having no sense of belonging like they did.”

Kevin relaxed so much he looked like he could have melted on the floor.

“If you choose to adopt,” he began, “it might be harder on you than foster care.”

“Why’s that?”

“He’s very weak; he’s going to need around the clock care,” Kevin explained.

“Isn’t that what most babies need anyway?” Jasper barked. 

“Well, yes, but this baby was born very, very sick,” he stammered. “His mother was an alcoholic and gave him up when we was born, because he was born with gastroschisis. Basically, his intestines were outside of his body, and he has had several operations to correct this. But he’s also had a variety of complications and is just overall a very sick baby. Caring for him will be very taxing and expensive, and I would be elated if you adopted him now, I just want you to know that if worse comes to worse you won’t exactly have the government support that you would as a foster mother.”

“Did you see my last paycheck, Kevin?” Jasper chuckled. “The expenses I can handle. And everything else...well, is there anyway I can meet him?’

“If you’re interested, you and Diamond can come with me to my next appointment today since it is with him. You can meet him and talk with his doctors and see how you two feel after that,” Kevin suggested. 

Jasper pursed her lips and held in a sigh, glancing up the stairs. “You said you talked to Diamond about this?”

“Yes.”

“And what did they think?”

“Honestly,” Kevin chuckled, “they said they would be ecstatic to have a baby brother.”

“Oh great,” Jasper covered her head in her hands. She should really say no. Her life, just her and Diamond, was a little slice of heaven already. They had achieved a balance, Diamond didn’t deserve to have that balance disrupted. 

...But this baby didn’t deserve to be rocking himself to sleep every night with no one to comfort him either.

Clods. 

“Alright, fine, let’s go meet my new son then,” Jasper heaved. 

“You don’t have to decide right now, Jasper—”

“No, no, I really do,” Jasper scratched the back of her head. “If I don’t cave when I meet him Diamond surely will, and I still have yet to figure what part of my gem was cut wrong to make it so hard for me to say no to those big eyes of theirs.”

“Well, he’s going to be very lucky to have you, then,” the caseworker smiled. When Jasper called Diamond out of their room they already had their shoes on and were practically screaming with excitement. 

“What’s his name?” they asked.

“Well, right now we’ve been calling him John Doe,” Kevin explained. “His mother never named him, and he’s been in the hospital his entire life anyway. If you wanted to come up with something else for his birth certificate, you can.”

“Yes! Can we, Mom? Pleeeeease!?” Diamond cheered, bouncing out of control with excitement. 

“Yes,” Jasper grinned. “Actually, I think I already have an idea of what to call him.”

“What’s that?” Diamond asked emphatically. Stars, they looked too cute. Jasper couldn’t help herself and she planted a kiss on the kid’s forehead before she answered the question.

“Onyx.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See this is what I meant when I used 'Onyx' as a hint for future chapters way back when. Cute lil' tiny baby Onyx. 
> 
> THE QUARTZ FAMILY IS EXPANDING~
> 
> Also, a disclaimer about Jasper's preference: while foster care is not the best system for children, it is still a pretty dang good one and it is not my intention to slam it in any regard. Diamond just kind of got stuck seeing the worst sides of the foster system and through that, that's all Jasper's ever experienced. So if she appeared to turn her nose up, so to speak, at the idea of fostering Onyx that's simply because if she's going to commit to being someone's mom, she's COMMITTING, no ifs ands or buts about it (hence Peridot's comment about quartzes being super loyal soldiers~). 
> 
> BUT THE QUARTZ FAMILY IS EXPANDING!


	16. Onyx in the Sky with Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And Jasper thought Diamond was a tiny human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wipes sweat from the strain of having to make that Beatles reference work* 
> 
> Oh boy!!! Onyx is here! A new chapter! *finger guns*
> 
> This chapter is rather short, I know, but have no fear because I have the next one of longer length already written and in the queue to be beta'd! 
> 
> Also, fun announcement that most of you already know: This fic is going to be part of a series!! *confetti canons* And to keep the organization a bit on my tumblr, I have created a Steven Universe dedicated blog that features My Diamond, some upcoming side stories, lots of Jasper shit-posting, the future installments of this series, and (wait for it) FAN ART BY ME! Though really, you gotta wait for it, I have a tablet in the mail and can't do anything until I get it. BUT THERE WILL BE ART! So go follow universally-fangirling! 
> 
> Also my amazing beta/gifter of said tablet/friend, Caped Ace commissioned the incredible Cinensis to draw a stunning picture of Jasper and Diamond together, go check it out!

Jasper could remember vividly the day she looked at Diamond for the first time and thought that they must’ve been the tiniest human to ever exist. 

She was very, very wrong. 

Jasper stared down at the little baby boy, connected to more tubes and IV’s than she could count, squirming in her arms.

_ This _ was definitely the tiniest human to ever exist. 

She couldn’t even say she was holding him with both arms, he was nestled so neatly against her wrist and forearm, which was tucked tight against her body. He didn’t cry as much as Jasper was told to expect, but instead he whimpered, staring up at Jasper with watery brown eyes. His entire abdomen was bound tight with bandages, evidently to help his wounds heal after what the doctors had hoped was the last surgery.

“Wow,” Diamond gazed down at the baby boy in awe. “Can I hold him?”

Jasper looked up at Diamond and began to move to (carefully) transfer Onyx to their arms, but the nurse stopped her. 

“Maybe later, Diamond,” she said. “This little guy’s had more excitement in one day than he has in his whole life, and is a little anxious in your mom’s arms right now.”

Diamond all but deflated in their seat, relenting with a sigh. 

Jasper had to hold in a chuckle at that. She hadn’t realized how much Diamond loved babies until now. They were going to be an amazing sibling, she could tell. 

“You get first dibs on holding him tomorrow, how does that sound?” Jasper grinned. Diamond looked up at Jasper, their face practically lighting up.

“Okay!” they chirped. 

Onyx eventually settled down in Jasper’s arm, though he still looked up at her with a quivering lip. 

“He seems really tense,” Jasper noted to the nurse, “Is he okay?”

“Oh yes, he’s fine,” the nurse smiled. “He just isn’t used to you yet. This is pretty common for babies like him. A few weeks of proper acclimation and bonding and I’m sure he won’t want you to put him down!” 

“When can we take him home?” Jasper asked. 

“Well, we have to see how his sutures heal and observe him for the next week. After that we need to make sure he can hold down nutrients, and start having proper bowel movements, and then he’ll be able to go home. But in the meantime you two can visit as much as you need to.”

“Okay,” Jasper and Diamond both responded in unison. Diamond practically leaned all of their weight onto Jasper’s arm, staring down at Onyx with such wonder in their eyes. The quartz chuckled to herself, turned her head and planted a kiss on Diamond’s unsuspecting cheek. The child recoiled slightly, feigning disgust before they wrapped their arms around Jasper’s neck in a hug.

“Alright, I’m going to leave you three for a bit,” the nurse announced, “but before I do, what was the name you wanted to put on his birth certificate?”

“Onyx,” Diamond and Jasper both said in unison. Again. The nurse held in a small laugh as she stepped out of the room. Diamond hugged Jasper’s neck a little tighter, wriggling slightly with pure delight. 

“So, if I’m Diamond, and he’s Onyx,” the child began, “then does that mean all of your kids are going to be named after gems?”

“Well, it’s what I’m familiar with,” Jasper shrugged. “And what do you mean by ‘all’? It’s just you and Onyx.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Diamond.”

“I’m just saying, Mom,” Diamond grinned slyly, “It’s no skin off my back if I wind up with a bunch of brothers and sisters and other variously gendered siblings.”

“Let’s just get through one baby first, Diamond,” Jasper chuckled. “Then we’ll evaluate how many siblings you wind up with.”

“What would we name the next one?” Diamond bounced emphatically.

“Well, that depends on if there even is a next one—”

“Topaz? Beryl? Jade?” Diamond rattled, “Oh! Oh! What about naming someone after one of the Crystal Gems? Like Amy, short for Amethyst, or Pearl, or-or Opal!” 

“Diamond,” Jasper reached her free hand out and placed it on the child’s shoulder. “One step at a time, okay?”

“Okay,” Diamond groaned. “When can I hold Onyx?”

“Tomorrow,” Jasper assured. “Like the nurse said, we can’t overwhelm him too much, this is only our first day with him.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Diamond responded, standing up straight and mimicking the diamond salute. Jasper shook her head and glanced down at the little boy in her arms. 

“Onyx, I hate to tell you this, but your sibling is a loose cannon,” she said gently. Onyx stared up at Jasper, very perplexed as he let out a coo in response. 

“Only a little bit,” Diamond retorted. “Don’t worry, Onyx, I’ll take good care of you! I’ll show you all the cool places in town, when to get the best fry bits, all of Mom’s ticklish spots—”

“Not that last one please,” Jasper interrupted. She narrowed her eyes as Diamond simply grinned widely in response.

A sick feeling settled in her stomach suddenly. She should have known better than to outnumber herself like this.

Jasper hesitantly glanced from Diamond to back down to Onyx and noticed that his chest was heaving slightly. Lifting her gaze up she noticed the nasal tube taped to his mouth had been pushed slightly and was no longer lined up to send air into his nostrils. Carefully she followed the tube down and noticed Diamond’s stance against her was pushing the tube slightly.

“Diamond, can you step behind me real quick? You’re pushing Onyx’s oxygen tube,” Jasper said gently. 

“Oh!” Diamond jumped, “Sorry!”

“That’s alright,” Jasper said, carefully trying to shift the cannula back into his nostrils. Almost immediately Onyx started breathing easier. She followed the nurse’s advice in holding the cannula to his nostrils for a few moments until the baby either relaxed or started making cooing noises again. Stars, he was so fragile. How was she supposed to take care of him again? Sure she took care of Diamond, but they were already pretty self-sufficient by the time Jasper came around! The quartz didn’t know the first thing about babies—especially sick babies. There was just no way she could do this. 

Her thoughts were interrupted suddenly when, as she lifted her finger off of the nasal cannula, Onyx’s tiny hands waved in front of his face, outstretching further until they snagged hold of her finger. Jasper felt herself tense, trying not to move too suddenly as the tiny,  _ tiny _ fingers wrapped around hers. Onyx blinked those big almond-shaped eyes for a moment as he stared up at Jasper. 

Then he cooed again and broke out into the first smile she had seen him give, dimples and all. 

And he was smiling at  _ her _ . 

Jasper couldn’t help herself as she smiled back, carefully adjusting her hand so she could hold his in her palm. Diamond wrapped their arms around her neck again and let out a giggle. 

“He’s sooooo cute,” Diamond said softly. Jasper let out another chuckle at that, a feeling of nostalgia settling over her.

No, she was not in the slightest bit equipped to care for an infant, but for Onyx’s sake, and Diamond’s, she sure would try. 

It wasn’t long after when the doctors had to come in to whisk Onyx away for more testing and treatments, so she and Diamond bid him goodbye until the next day.

On the walk home, Diamond intertwined their fingers with Jasper’s, skipping slightly. 

“You sure you can handle having my attention divided between you and a baby?” Jasper found herself asking. “This isn’t exactly what I’m used to, you know.”

Diamond rolled their eyes and laughed, “Mom, I went from almost no attention to 2000% attention when you and Kathy came around. I think I can handle you dropping down to 1000%.”

Jasper grimaced at the statement; what did Diamond mean by no attention? Were they neglected? Abused? She knew they had a problem with running away a lot when they were younger, but Jasper had never once considered how bad their childhood might have been. Gems didn’t have childhoods, so how would she have known to make that her first thought? Was she neglectful by not realizing this?

“Mom?” Diamond asked, tugging on Jasper’s arm slightly. “You okay?”

Jasper jumped, coming back down to reality and tried to mask her worry by playfully pulling the child’s beanie down over their eyes. 

“Wh-hey!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, Kiddo,” Jasper forced a grin. “I’m just suddenly thinking of all the things we need to get to Onyx-proof the house.”

“Don’t you mean baby-proof?” Diamond asked. 

“...yeah.” Jasper answered. She observed Diamond for a moment, a weird pang settling in her chest. Without thinking twice, Jasper came to a stop and pulled the child into her arms mid-skip. Diamond made a soft grunting noise as they were taken off balance but settled almost immediately into the hug.

“Mom?” Diamond grunted.

“I love you, Diamond,” Jasper whispered, holding them tight. “More than life itself.”

Against her shoulder, Diamond sighed, hugging the quartz back, “I love you too, Mom. I think you’re the best.” 

Jasper smiled, feeling the wind blow against her hair, and against her collar, she could faintly hear the jingle of two silver dog tags filled with the love that she and her child shared. 

She could only hope that she was half the mom Diamond saw in her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONYX IS JUST A REALLY CUTE BABY WHO DESERVES TO GO HOME WITH HIS MAMA AND SIBLING OKAY


	17. And if that Diamond Ring Don't Shine...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOY LOOK WHAT I FINALLY HAVE FOR YE~
> 
> Finals week and life has been kicking my butt lately, so thanks to all of you for hanging in there between updates. 
> 
> I feel like I have more to say but I am blanking right now so *throws it at you* TAKE IT! 
> 
> Also, I just want to reiterate that, as most of you noticed, I added another fic to this series called Earth Tales. That's all pure side stories that just pop into my head as the rest of the main plot unfolds. There are two chapters up that incorporate events that fall within this chapter (hehehe) so feel free to check them out!

Holding Onyx tomorrow never happened for Diamond, unfortunately, as with tomorrow came an infection that had poor Onyx in the NICU under intensive surveillance. 

“Wait, so we can’t go see him?” Jasper spat at the doctor. “But he’s my  _ son _ .”

“Ms. Quartz, I understand your worry,” the doctor assured. “You can come in for a few minutes, but you just can’t hold him right now.”

“What?” Diamond wailed. “Awwwww, but I wanted to hold him today!” 

Heaving a heavy sigh, Jasper knelt down on the ground and placed a hand on Diamond’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, Kiddo. You’ll get to hold him soon, I promise.”

Diamond shot Jasper a glare and crossed their arms. “How soon?”

“I don’t know,” Jasper admitted. “When he’s stronger.”

The child was silent for several grumpy moments before they huffed and relented. “Okay.”

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked. Frankly, she was surprised Diamond was being so stubborn about this. She knew they were excited, but...holding Onyx had been the only thing they could talk about since the day before, and the look of pure agony on their face from being told no by the doctor was equally stressful for Jasper as it was perplexing. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Diamond shrugged. “I was just really looking forward to holding him.”

“I know, sweetie,” Jasper said, feigning a smile. “I know. But you can still visit him. And the nurse gave us that pass for the food down in the cafeteria, she said they had really good cake.”

“I don’t really want cake anymore…”

“Diamond,” Jasper pleaded. “Cheer up, there will be plenty more opportunities. He’s just sick right now and things are kind of rocky.”

“Yeah, but—” Diamond started, but stopped. 

“But what?” Jasper asked gently.

“Never mind.”

“No, Diamond, really, what is it?”

“No, it’s nothing,” Diamond insisted, pulling their expression into a smile. “It’s okay. I’m just bummed I can’t hold Onyx yet is all.”

“Okay, well, if you say so,” Jasper huffed. They went into the NICU to visit Onyx as allowed, the infant was strung up to even more tubing and couldn’t even cry because he had a ventilator in. 

“How long is he going to be like this?” Jasper asked with alarm upon seeing the baby.

“Just for a few days until the infection clears up,” the nurse responded. “We’re watching him very carefully. Hopefully this will be his last bump in the road.”

“That would be nice,” Diamond mused. “Fourteen months in the hospital sucks, even if you don’t remember it.” 

“What do you mean by that, Diamond?” Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow. 

The child shrugged. “I dunno.”

Jasper narrowed her gaze, not entirely convinced but left them be. They went home not long after, stopping for fry bits along the way. It was on that stop that they ran into Greg. 

“Hey! Jasper! Haven’t seen you two in a while, how’s it hanging?” Greg greeted, stepping out of Fish Stew Pizza. 

“Hi Greg,” Jasper grunted, eyeing the pizza in the man’s hand. He and Steven must’ve been having a movie night. 

“I have a new brother!” Diamond announced. Greg nearly doubled over in his recoil. 

“I-whaaat!?” Greg coughed. “Jasper, I—I had no idea you were taking in another kid.”

“It was a spur of the moment decision,” Jasper admitted. 

Greg’s brow furrowed as he managed a smile and asked, “How spur of the moment?”

“Yesterday,” Diamond chirped. “Kevin came over and asked if we wanted to foster Onyx, but Mom decided it would be best to adopt him!” 

“Oh wow,” Greg managed. Behind the fry counter, Fryman made some kind of guttural noise.

“Wait, Jasper, you adopted another kid?!” Fryman gasped, leaning over the counter and out the window of the shop. 

“Yes,” Jasper groaned, rubbing her temples. “His name is Onyx.”

“Well, when can we meet the little guy?” Petie yelped from somewhere behind the shop. 

“Not for a while,” Jasper answered. “He’s pretty sick and in the hospital.”

“Yeah, and the doctors won’t let me hold him,” Diamond grunted, crossing their arms. 

“Wow, this is all pretty sudden,” Greg mused, glancing down at his pizza box. “Are you going to be okay? I mean, you don’t have a whole lot of experience with babies...and I know the Crystal Gems really didn’t know what to do with Steven when he was little—”

“I’ll be fine,” Jasper spat with uncertainty. She glanced down at Diamond for a moment who smiled brightly back up at her. Sighing, the quartz placed a hand on their shoulder and said, “We’ll be just fine.”

“Well...if you need any help, I have one kid that turned out pretty great, if I do say so myself,” Greg shrugged. “You know where to find me.”

“Thanks, Greg,” Jasper nodded, just as Fryman slid the fry bits for Diamond across the counter. And wearing a slight look of concern at that, too.

“What?” Jasper cringed. Fryman placed his hand to his chin contemplatively, saying nothing. Groaning, the quartz placed her hands on her hips and asked, “You don’t think I can take care of a baby?”

“No, it’s not that,” Fryman contemplated. He very hesitantly glanced up at Jasper then and asked, “It’s just...have you talked to Kathy about this?”

“I—” Jasper froze. 

Oh. 

Oh no she did not. 

“Wait,” Jasper thought out loud, “What does it matter if I did?”

“Well,” Greg squeaked, coming to Fryman’s defense. “Jasper, it’s  _ Kathy _ . Having a new baby on your hands sounds like something she might need to know.” 

“Wait, you didn’t ask Kathy?” Diamond spat out their fry bits, evidently not paying full attention to the conversation. They almost immediately broke out into hysterical laughter, “Oh man! She’s going to flip!” 

“Okay, so why do I now need to ask her for  _ permission _ ?” Jasper barked. “You guys are talking like she actually lives here!” 

“Well, it’s not her location that I’m worried about,” Greg muttered, looking away. Fryman nodded in agreement while Diamond held back their laughter, eyes glinting with mischief. 

“What?” Jasper grimaced. 

Oddly enough, whatever the mental consensus was, no one wanted to say it out loud. 

“Whaaaat?” She demanded again. “Guys!”

“Who wants to say it?” Diamond asked the older men, munching on their fry bits. 

“Not me,” Greg defended. “I had to explain puberty to her, I’m leaving this to someone else!” 

“Leaving what?!” Jasper shouted. “What is happening!?” 

“I don’t want to say it,” Fryman coughed. “I’d rather keep my shop in tact.”

“Whaaaaaat!?”

“ _ Fine _ ,” Diamond groaned, finishing the last of their bits and tossing the carton in the trash. They then cleared their throat and clapped their hands together before stating, “Mom. Kathy’s dainty.”

Before she could even process what Diamond had said, she immediately started to say, “Actually, she’s put on a lot of muscle lately...she took up boxing and running again and—wait.”

Dainty.

Why was Diamond calling her dainty?

She wasn’t dainty, she was—

She…

Clods. 

“What. Do you mean,” Jasper demanded more so than asked, her voice low. Her gaze was enough to cause the two humans behind Diamond to jump and take several steps back, but the child before her seemed unamused by the threatening body language. 

Instead, Diamond practically lit up as they lifted their hands and announced, “She’s your type!”

Jasper had to take a moment to formulate her response after that. 

“Are—are you implying—Diamond, we aren’t  _ dating _ !” Jasper stuttered, losing any shred of tact she had to make herself look intimidating. 

“Well, not yet,” Diamond crossed their arms, looking as if they had plotted this out before. “It’s too soon after the divorce. Well, if you count how long she and David have been separated, then maybe not, but Kathy comes from a very religious family and they would want her to take ample time to avoid any sort of rebound. But now you guys are kind of in that sweet spot where dating could happen at any time...but that also being said, she hasn’t moved back to Beach City yet, and you frankly move pretty slow in any sort of social department so you probably wouldn’t be comfortable doing anything until—”

“Diamond,” Jasper stopped the kid. “I appreciate the sentiment but this isn’t one of those teen romance novels you like to read. I’m a 5,000 year old  _ gem, _ I think I would know dating constructs by now and I can promise you that I have no interest in a human.”

Diamond glanced away for a moment before adding, “...Then how come her cat is your screensaver on the computer?”

“It’s her parents’ cat and it was high on catnip!” Jasper roared in defense. “Are twelve-year-olds even supposed to know this much about dating!?”

“So you do like her!” Diamond cheered. 

“I never said that!” 

“Mom and Kathy, sitting in a tree!” 

“Diamond!”

“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

“DIAMOND!”

“Okay! Okay!” Diamond recoiled, practically withering under the sheer volume that Jasper had achieved. “Sorry.”

“One more peep out of you and you’re grounded,” Jasper heaved, wishing she could possibly be more serious. Ugh, she didn’t even have any proper grounds to actually take privileges away from Diamond. What was she going to do? Tell them they couldn’t read for fun? That kid could open up their math textbook for homework and still enjoy themselves.

“Sorry, Mom,” Diamond heaved.

“It’s okay.” Jasper smacked her hand to her head. “Let’s just go home. See you guys later.”

“Bye Jasper, bye Diamond!” Fryman responded as Greg waved. “You two take care!” 

Diamond skipped in silence, oblivious to Jasper’s internal dilemma the entire way back. 

She never told Kathy.

She never  _ asked _ Kathy. 

Ohhhhh stars what was she going to do? Kathy was going to kill her! 

Sure if this had been a dog that would’ve been one thing, but an actual human baby? Oh clods almighty. 

They made it through the front door before Diamond said anything again. “So are you going to tell Kathy or just let Onyx be a surprise?”

“Diamond,” Jasper groaned. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“It’s just a question!” Diamond retorted. “I could text her for you—”

“She’s not my girlfriend, Diamond!”

“That’s not what I’m saying!” Diamond whined, their eyebrows knit in frustration. “You just seem really stressed about this, and I’m just offering to take the brunt of her questions for you. She’ll probably be super excited. And it’s not like she can talk much, she agreed to take me in without consulting David because she knew he’d give a big fat protest over it…”

Feeling unusually exhausted, Jasper sat down at the kitchen table. She eyed Diamond for a moment and found herself chuckling, “Come here.”

Confused, Diamond did as they were told and took a couple steps forward until they were in arms reach so Jasper could pull them into a hug. “You’re a good kid, you know that?”

“That’s what you tell me,” Diamond shrugged, hugging Jasper back.

“I’m sorry that I act angry sometimes,” Jasper apologized, suddenly feeling a cascade of guilt fall on top of her. 

“It’s okay!” Diamond reassured. “And I wouldn’t call it angry...maybe a little grumpy. But all moms are allowed to get grumpy sometimes, especially when their kids are preteens. At least that’s what Alexis’s mom says.”

“How is Alexis’s mom?” Jasper asked, pulling out of the hug. “Is she still giving you trouble about your pronouns?”

Diamond shrugged and grinned. “Not as much. Sometimes she still slips up, but she’s been a lot better since Alexis’s cousin came out as trans. I think the whole experience with her niece has made her more mindful of gender things in general.”

“That’s good,” Jasper smiled. “I know she was giving both you and Alexis a hard time about that for a while. I was worried.”

“Nah, it’s all good,” Diamond grinned, lightly tapping Jasper’s shoulder with their fist. “So do you want to text Kathy or is it okay if I do?”

“You can text her.” Jasper grinned. “She’ll be happy to hear from you.”

“Okay,” Diamond nodded, turning to head up to their room. They paused before they fully exited the kitchen, and turned back to face the quartz with a slight look of concern. “Mom?”

“Yeah, Kiddo?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” they asked. Jasper raised an eyebrow at that. 

“Of course I am,” she answered. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s just…” Diamond’s voice trailed as their gaze fell to to Jasper’s left side. “You’re hand…”

Grunting with confusion, Jasper glanced down at her hand to find an angry and inflamed green spot spreading up to her wrist. 

So that’s why she was sore and tired.

“Oh,” Jasper noted. “Yes, I’m fine, Diamond. This just flares up sometimes. It’s nothing.”

“You sure?” Diamond asked. “I haven’t seen it that bad since I was little.”

“I’m fine,” Jasper reassured with a smile. It was really cute how that kid managed to find reasons to worry over her, honestly. “Don’t you worry about me, okay?”

“Okay.” Diamond’s voice was small as they smiled, before they ran upstairs. Jasper reclined in her chair once the child was out of sight, both surprised at how heavy her eyelids felt, and how much she was really looking forward to sleeping that night. Frankly, she wondered if she had dozed for a brief moment because the sound of her phone’s ringtone seemed a lot louder and more jarring as it caused her to jerk upright. 

“Hello?” Jasper grunted in a slight daze. 

“You adopted another kid without telling me!?” Kathy’s voice was shrill and rather...angry?

“I...was I supposed to tell you?” Jasper asked. 

“When did you decide this!?” 

“Y-yesterday…”

“Jasper!” 

“Kathy! Calm down, I was going to tell you—”

“How? By having our kid break the news over a text message?!”

“I—”

Wait.

“Did you just say ‘our’ kid?”

“You know what I meant, Jasper!” 

Jasper had to pause for a moment. 

In light of recent discussions Jasper had to admit that she wasn’t sure she did know.

Honestly, the other option of what Kathy possibly meant sounded a lot more attractive to Jasper…

“Jasper!”

“Yeah, yeah! I’m here!” Jasper rubbed her eyes, trying to force away a headache as she spoke. “Kathy, I’m sorry. It was sprung on me and—”

“You could’ve fostered him! Received government support first! Jasper, have you even taken care of a baby before?”

“No—I—Kathy, it’s fine—”

“No, it’s not,” Kathy spat back. “You’ve never done this before and you’re going to string yourself out with stress if you aren’t careful. Honestly, why didn’t you just foster him first?!”

“You know I can’t do that!” Jasper spat back. 

“And why not!?”

“Because look at what happened to Diamond in the foster system!” Jasper shouted into the phone. Okay,  _ now _ , she was a little more aware of the sting in her arm than she had been before. “I can’t do that to this kid, Kathy. I just can’t!” 

The other end of the phone remained very silent for a very long time. 

Crap, did she say something wrong?

“...Kathy?”

“I’m here,” Kathy’s voice was soft, gentle even. “And I’m coming down to help you with him.”

“Kathy, no.”

“You need the help, Jasper. And Diamond said that he’s been sick—”

“Kathy, listen to me,” Jasper barked. “He’s going to be in the hospital for several more weeks, he isn’t coming home until he’s healthy enough to. I have plenty of time to go get all the supplies I need. And Greg knows what he’s doing, and if worse comes to worse, Diamond is old enough and has the free time when they’re done with homework that they can be an extra set of hands.”

“Yes, Jasper, but you know how much you stress about when things go wrong,” Kathy warned. “And a lot of things can go wrong with babies. You need my help.”

“And you need to finish school!” Jasper snapped. “When do you get your MBA?”

Kathy let out a groan, “The end of the year.”

“You can come home and help out then,” Jasper ordered. “But you need to focus on finishing, okay? That’s why you decided to stay in Jersey this long, isn’t it?”

There was another brief pause before Kathy relented, “Okay, fine, but you have to promise me that you’re going to call the minute you need something, okay? If I have to take off a weekend to take care of you three, I will.”

“It’ll be fine, Kathy.” 

“It better be.” 

“It will be.”

Jasper heard another long sigh on the phone before Kathy spoke again, her voice soft and almost childlike, “So...what’s his name?”

Jasper couldn’t fight the smile that spread across her cheeks as she listened to the gentleness in the woman’s voice. “Onyx,” she answered. 

“Awww,” Kathy chuckled. “That’s beautiful. Is he named after anyone?”

“No, not really,” Jasper mused. “He’s just...he has this full head of pitch-black, beautiful hair and the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen on a human. He just reminded me of an onyx back on Homeworld. Kathy, he’s so beautiful.”

“Ugh, I wish I could see your home planet,” Kathy thought out loud. “It must be beautiful. And with all of the gems that exist out there, flying deep into space...it must be awesome.”

“Well, it’s nothing fancy.” Jasper shrugged. “But if your species is able to come up with space travel in the near future, I’ll show you around.”

Kathy chuckled, “I can’t wait.”

“Although,” Jasper began, “If you really wanted to see my home planet...you’re on it.”

“What?” Kathy gasped. “Wait, you were born on Earth?”

“Basically,” Jasper answered. “Earth used to be a colony controlled by my diamond. I formed right here on this planet. For all intent and purposes, this is home to me.”

“I knew you had said Pink Diamond controlled the Earth, but I had no idea—” Kathy started, but cut herself off. “That’s incredible, Jasper.”

“Eh,” Jasper grunted. “It’s not the most impressive birthplace by Homeworld’s standards.”

“Well, I think it’s pretty cool,” Kathy retorted. 

Jasper hesitated for a moment, testing her faith in the woman as she suggested, “It’s...not the most glamorous place but...if you were ever interested...when you come back to Beach City I could take you to the Beta Kindergarten...where I was made.”

“That sounds amazing,” Kathy’s voice practically beamed through the phone. “I can’t wait.”

“R-really?” 

“Yes!” Kathy laughed. “I would love to see where you come from, I think that would be incredible! We’ll just have to make sure Diamond is available to babysit Onyx while we’re out.”

Jasper broke out into laughter at that. “Oh, don’t worry, they’re gearing up to spend every waking moment with Onyx that they can.”

“Awesome,” Kathy said, “I look forward to it. Well, I should go make dinner now, and I’m sure Diamond’s probably hungry so I’ll let you go. Goodbye, Jasper.”

“Yeah,” Jasper responded. “Talk to you later.”

As they hung up, Jasper couldn’t help but feel a strange warmth pooling in her chest. 

Everything was going to be just fine. 

Of course...Jasper would have to remind herself that several times over when she was finally able to bring Onyx home three weeks later.

Things seemed to go smoothly up until that point; Jasper had gotten her driver’s license (and with a perfect score, mind you), found a car that could both fit her and her kids, and had everything set up. Diamond had located all the good radio stations to listen to, and helped pick out a crib that could easily convert to a toddler’s bed when he was ready, and they even helped paint Onyx’s room. Onyx was much more accustomed to Jasper’s presence by the time he was ready to go home, although, to Diamond’s distress, he was very whimpery whenever they held him. His scars had healed and he was eating properly, though his surgeries and condition left him on a growth delay, and he would still be on a bottle for a while before the doctors felt he could tolerate solid food. But other than that he was a healthy baby. 

Well, healthy enough to come home. 

And he was fine. Until he got in the van. 

When he got in the van, the waterworks came.

And then Onyx didn’t stop crying the rest of the night.

“Why won’t he stop!?” Diamond asked, covering their ears with their hands at the dinner table. Jasper had been trying, and failing, to feed him all night but he kept swatting the bottle away. 

“I don’t know!” Jasper whined back, flipping through a parenting manual that Greg had given her. There was something in there about different types of cries that babies exhibited based on their mood, she remembered reading about it! 

“I think we should call Kathy—”

“No!” Jasper protested, “We have this under control, Diamond, I believe in us!” 

“Isn’t he supposed to be talking by now?” Diamond asked. “I thought babies could talk by now!”

“He has until around eighteen months before we need to be concerned, that I do remember reading!” Jasper retorted. “And he’s got a speech delay because no one other than doctors have really talked to him before! It’s fine!” 

“Mom,”

“Dammit, where is that chapter about crying.”

“Mom.” 

“Ugh! Where is iiiiit!?”

“Mom!”

“What!?” Jasper snapped back.

Diamond pointed at Onyx without a second glance and announced, “I think he pooped his pants.”

Jasper squinted at Diamond slightly, wondering stupidly for a moment if humans just had ESP to automatically know what was wrong with babies at any given point. “How do you know?”

“I can smell it.”

….Or...humans just had a sense of smell. 

That Jasper did not.

Because her gem formed on the middle of her face. 

Taking that sense away from her. 

“Right,” Jasper sighed, snapping the booklet shut. “Well, let’s go take care of that then.”

Whatever human waste smelled like, Jasper wondered if it smelled as grotesque as it looked because the minute she opened the diaper Diamond immediately was on the ground gagging. 

“Oh! Gross!” They whaled. “I’m never having kids!”

“Are you going to be alright?” Jasper asked, trying not to look at the insides of a diaper while still trying to clean a much more complacent Onyx off. 

“Oh stars, it smells so baaaad,” Diamond whined. 

“If it smells that bad, you don’t have to stay in here,” Jasper sighed. “You still have homework to do, I can handle this myself.”

“No! I’m good!” Diamond announced, hopping back onto their feet before promptly doubling over to gag again. 

“Uh-huh,” Jasper rolled her eyes as she wrapped the soiled diaper up and dropped it in the waste bin. “Well, the worst is over now, it seems.”

“That was gross.”

“Yeah, well you didn’t have to look at it,” Jasper retorted, earning a pink tongue sticking out in her direction in protest. 

Onyx lasted for about two minutes before he broke out into tears again. Noting the bags under their eyes, Jasper dismissed Diamond to go finish their homework and get a good night’s rest (she all but had to lock them in their room, honestly). She tried everything to get the little boy to quiet back down. She fed him, burped him, rocked him, double and triple checked the manual for other parenting tips. By the time the thought struck her that maybe she needed to call for reinforcements after all it was well past midnight and she was exhausted. 

Giving up, Jasper set Onyx down in the crib, grabbed a pillow from her bedroom, and lied down on the floor next to the crib. When all else failed when Diamond was younger, or even otherwise upset today still, the lullaby could put them to sleep without fail. 

So sang she did. 

At around the third round, Onyx’s wales had calmed to whimpers finally and he turned his little head to stare at Jasper through tearful eyes, his tiny hand outstretched. 

“Hey,” Jasper said in a low voice, “There’s no reason for you to get so worked up.”

Onyx cooed in response, a few more tears leaking out of his eyes. Reaching up, Jasper rested her hand along the bars of the crib, letting Onyx grab hold of the tip of her finger. 

“That’s it,” she said softly. “That’s a good boy. It doesn’t seem like it now, but I promise you that you’re safe. I’m here, your sibling is here. You might wind up with another mom down the road but...we’ll see. My point is that you aren’t alone anymore, and Mommy’s going to make sure of that, okay?”

She felt stupid talking to a baby that couldn’t form feasible sentences back, but she figured no one else was watching, and she read somewhere, and heard from several doctors, that talking to Onyx was good for language development, so here she was. 

And also, what was so wrong about wanting to make conversation with your infant son? Jasper didn’t see anything.

Onyx let out a few more babbles, his breaths calming down before he finally fell asleep. Sighing in relief, Jasper remained on the floor that night, drifting out of consciousness to the sound of her new son’s breathing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone has any residual doubt, Kasper is going to very much become canon in this fic. Just keep reading and watch it all unfold! :D


	18. Blood Diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what they say, having a baby can sometimes bring about problems that weren't there before and heighten the ones that had been hidden, no matter how deep down they were buried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is going to be the start of some angst.
> 
> I'm sorry. 
> 
> But I'm also not. 
> 
> Just...just READ. 
> 
> Also, depending on how the next few chapters go I might have to up the rating a bit just based on some of the subject matter that's discussed. I'll have a better idea once I finish the next chapter! 
> 
> But enjoy! Sorry if I ripped any hearts out! :')

Onyx woke up several times throughout the night, wailing.

For two months straight. 

The doctors kept assuring Jasper that this was pretty normal—he was developing dependency on her and separation anxiety as a result, which is evidently a good sign—and everything else seemed to progress normally. He could sit up on his own, was able to start holding down solid foods, and he was starting to babble noises that vaguely resembled words. They all had high hopes that he would be walking and talking by the age of two, and develop like any other boy his age.

But stars, Jasper was so  _ so  _ tired. 

The angry patch of green on her hand refused to go away and worse yet, it was starting to cause a lot of cramping. She could barely hold her eyes open at the last parent-teacher conference. 

“Ms. Quartz?” 

“Yes! Sorry,” Jasper apologized to Diamond’s teacher, rubbing her eyes. The teacher smiled, concern etched in the back of her eyes. 

“Well, Diamond is doing relatively well in my class, but I’m afraid their grade is slipping a bit,” she explained, passing the class report card across the table towards Jasper to read over. 

Diamond was getting a B.

In history. 

Diamond didn’t get B’s in history. They didn’t get B’s in anything! But this was  _ history! _

“What?” Jasper cringed. “How is that possible? They love your class!”

“Well, they haven’t been turning in their homework,” the teacher explained. “And they’ve been acting out in class as well.”

Jasper listened intently to the woman, anger boiling inside of her—this was the third teacher in a row that said Diamond wasn’t completing their homework. That kid did nothing  _ but _ homework. How could this happen!? What were they doing holed up in their room the whole time!? 

But then, the history teacher brought up a point that no one else had: “They mentioned that you adopted a baby...could this have anything to do with them helping you with him?”

Jasper reared her head back at that. Odd, she didn’t think she asked Diamond for too much help. “I mean, perhaps. I’ve been very conscious to make sure I don’t overwhelm them so they have time to, you know, be a kid and focus on school.”

“Well, I would suggest having a talk with Diamond,” the teacher offered. “See what’s going on; I’ll let them complete the homework assignments up until two weeks ago to bring up their grade. But after that I can’t really give them any more leeway.”

“Thank you, that’s very generous,” Jasper nodded gruffly. She met with their band teacher before leaving (who said that he didn’t know if Diamond realized they could take the clarinet they used home to rehearse, and that they sorely needed the extra practice) and had to press her forehead to the steering wheel in frustration when she got into the van. 

For the first time, Jasper had left parent-teacher conferences not feeling that burst of pride in her diamond from listening to their teachers rave about how great they were in class. 

Was she really putting that much strain on the kid with Onyx?

Well, either way, Jasper figured she would get to the bottom of what was going on, when she walked into the house to find a very cranky-looking Diamond sitting on the floor while Steven held Onyx in his lap.

“Hey,” Jasper greeted. Onyx lifted his arms and babbled excitedly when he saw Jasper. Diamond slumped further on the floor. Well, at least they didn’t seem like they’d be surprised by Jasper’s news. Carefully, the quartz sat down on the couch near where Diamond sat. “So I spoke with your teachers.”

“Yeah, I know,” Diamond grunted. “Are you gonna usher me up to my room now that you’re back?”

“What?” Jasper cringed. What was with this attitude? “No, Diamond, I want us to hang out and talk as a family.”

“Do you need me to go?” Steven asked, raising a brow.

“Uhh, no, actually,” Jasper said. “Could you just take Onyx upstairs and get him ready for bed first?”

“I can do that!” Steven cheered, rising to his feet. 

As soon as he was out of the room, Diamond whipped their head around and snapped, “Oh, so Steven can get Onyx ready for bed but I can’t even babysit him?!”

“Diamond!” Jasper recoiled. “What are you talking about? I just had Steven come over so he could  _ help _ you!”

“And you don’t even let me help you!” Diamond spat back. “I never get to hold or play with Onyx except for tonight! And then you invited  _ Steven _ over!”

Okay, at that, Jasper felt her temper snap in half. “Well, I was gone for two hours,” she spat, “So what did you do? Did you play with him, or did you sit on the floor sulking the whole time?”

Diamond didn’t respond but rather glared at Jasper with a ferocious expression. 

The quartz steeled herself. She wish she could say this wasn’t the first time in the last two months that they had started bickering, but this was definitely the first time she actually felt legitimately angry with Diamond. 

“What in the stars’ names has gotten into you?” She spat. “And your grades too, might I add!”

“Oh for clods’ sake!” Diamond snapped back, practically shouting. 

“Hey! Don’t use that language!”

“It’s not even a bad word on this planet,  _ Mom _ !” Diamond yelled. “And they’re B’s! They aren’t that bad!”

“Coming from the kid that has had straight A’s every semester until now, and for nothing more than the simple fact that you aren’t doing your homework?” Jasper raised a brow. “Yeah, it’s that bad, Diamond.”

“Well, if you would just let me—”

“Let you what?” Jasper rose to her feet, staring down at the kid. “Play more with Onyx? I give you opportunities to, but the expectation is that you  _ finish your homework _ ! All you’ve done for the past month is hole yourself up in your room and you say you’re doing that, but evidently you aren’t! So what, dare I ask, is going on?”

Diamond stared up at Jasper, crossing their arms. And then, they said the one phrase Jasper had seen on television, but swore she would never hear coming from  _ her  _ diamond: “You wouldn’t understand if I told you.”

At that, she was definitely starting to lose it. “Well, I could if you would tell me, Diamond! But you have to talk to me!”

“Well you aren’t even from this planet so I don’t know if you would!” Diamond spat back. 

Jasper grit her teeth at that. 

The kid damn well knew that she was from this planet. 

“Diamond,” Jasper growled. “Go to your room.”

“But you just said—”

“Go to your room!” Jasper ordered, “We’ll talk again when you’ve calmed down enough to be respectful to your mother!” 

Diamond let out a frustrated growl and stomped very loudly up the stairs. Jasper heaved, trying to control her breathing before she went upstairs to dismiss Steven, but the loud slam of Diamond’s bedroom door followed by Onyx’s alarmed wails cut her time short. 

Trotting up the stairs and into the nursery, she found a confused Steven with Onyx kicking his little legs on the changing table. 

“S-sorry, Jasper,” Steven muttered. “He started crying when the door slammed, and I can’t calm him down enough to change his diaper.”

“It’s alright, I got it,” Jasper sighed, stepping around Steven to grab the baby’s little legs and at least wipe his butt clean. She then dispensed of the wet wipe and lifted Onyx into her arms, trying to shush him. 

“Wow, you’re a pro at this now, Jasper,” Steven complemented, noting how quickly Onyx calmed down as soon as he could rest his head on the gem’s shoulder.

“Anything but,” Jasper groaned. “If I was actually a pro I could at least be doing a halfway decent job with Diamond.”

“Is this about that fight you guys just had?” Steven asked. He looked away when Jasper glanced down at him and added, “I...sorry I just heard you guys yelling. It sounded pretty bad. Is everything okay?”

“Diamond’s getting B’s,” Jasper sighed. “They aren’t doing their homework, and despite the fact that all they seem to want to do is sit in their room pretending they’re working on homework, I just sent them to their room.”

“Well, that’s not too bad,” Steven said. “I mean, Dad and the Crystal Gems would try to send me to my room when I got into trouble, but the only place I could go was either my Mom’s room in the temple or stay put where I was.”

“How were they?” Jasper asked. “Before I came home?”

“They...didn’t seem too happy,” Steven noted. “I tried to ask them to show me how to change Onyx’s diapers or feed him, and they kept arguing that they didn’t know how.”

“What?” Jasper raised a brow. Did she…? She could’ve sworn she taught Diamond how to do all that…did she? Stars, Jasper’s memory was all over the place. 

Steven shrugged, “I don’t know what’s going on, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay, Rose Bud,” Jasper sighed. “It’s probably my fault.”

“Jasper, you can’t blame yourself,” Steven pleaded. “You both have had a lot to deal with lately, it’s nobody’s fault.”

“Well, I appreciate the sentiment,” Jasper feigned a smile.

Steven glared up at her.

“Give me Onyx,” Steven held his hands out.

“Why?” Jasper asked. 

“Because you need to make things right with Diamond before it gets too late in the night, or you’ll be beating yourself up for weeks,” Steven explained. “Go talk to them, I’ll finish changing Onyx and put him to bed.”

Jasper let out yet another groan, knowing Steven was right, but still feeling a sick pit form in her stomach because she didn’t know what to say to the kid at this point. Still, she squared her shoulders and tried to put on a strong face when she knocked softly on the door. 

“Diamond?” Jasper asked gently before opening the door. She found the kid lying face-down on the bed. She stepped carefully around their backpack and a few stray articles of laundry (they needed to clean their room...but that discussion could wait) and then sat carefully on the bed. Diamond almost immediately scooted away from her, wriggling with their face still against the blankets. 

Well.

Clods. 

She didn’t know where to start. 

“Did I never show you how to take care of Onyx?” she asked softly, a weight of guilt falling on her shoulders. 

Diamond let out a muffled noise.

“I didn’t hear a word you just said.”

“I said, you did show me!” Diamond whined, rolling onto their back. “But you don’t let me help you!”

Jasper glanced down at the floor at that, feeling her brows furrow as she scratched at a sore spot on her hand. That’s what all this was about?

“I’m sorry, Diamond,” Jasper said. “I really am. It’s an adjustment for both of us.”

“Mom, you don’t get it!” Diamond spat, sitting up. “It’s not just that, it’s—uggggh! Nevermind!”

“How am I supposed to get better at this whole parenting thing if you don’t tell me what’s going on?” Jasper barked. 

“Mom, it’s nothing—”

“No, it’s something, and I need you to tell me what it is,” she continued. “Your grades are slipping, you haven’t done your homework, and you don’t leave your room unless you have to, and as far as I can tell this attitude you’re copping is flying clear out of nowhere and I want to know why!”

“Because I can’t explain it!” Diamond yelled. “I just—I don’t know how to! And I don’t think you’d get it!”

“And why is that?” 

“Because none of my foster parents got it, Kevin definitely doesn’t get it, Kathy never brought it up, and they’re all human! You aren’t! You didn’t even know what puberty was!”

“Well, I thought I handled that pretty well once it was explained to me,” Jasper deflated. “But you need to explain it to me first! Spell it out for me!”

“ONYX IS LIKE ME!” Diamond wailed, standing up on their bed as tears fell out of their eyes. Jasper sat frozen on the bed, staring up at her child, not sure how to respond or what Diamond meant until they continued, “Sure, I wasn’t born with my guts spilling out of me but—gagh,  _ Mom _ ! My birth mom couldn’t hold me because I shook so much they thought I was having seizures! And then she kept doing drugs! My grandma couldn’t stand me, and gave me up to adoption services first chance she got; any time I acted out they just pushed me aside and said, ‘oh well, they just have brain damage or something because they’re addicted to drugs!’”

Diamond plopped down on the foot of the bed, crying. 

Okay, Jasper really did  _ not _ know what to do now. 

Stars, maybe Diamond was right after all…

“Diamond, I—” she tried, but words kept failing her. “I’m sorry.”

“Do you even  _ know _ what drug addiction is!?” they snapped at her. 

“Yes, of course I know,” Jasper said, trying to move to sit next to them. “I know what it is, and they were wrong to make those assumptions of you.”

“She didn’t even want me,” Diamond coughed up a sob. “No one wanted me—”

“Stop that,” Jasper’s voice broke as she stooped down to one knee and grabbed Diamond by both shoulders, looking into their tearful eyes with her own. “You know that’s not true.”

“Then why did it take eight years before I could finally say I have a mom?” Diamond whimpered. “Why does everyone try to pretend that I wasn’t a complete shit-show as a kid, but all anyone outside this house ever talks about is how bad Onyx was?”

She didn’t have the right words to say in this kind of situation, hell, it wasn’t even related to anything she felt, but still Jasper found herself muttering, “On the night you found out David and Kathy were divorcing...you told me something.”

Diamond sniffled, furrowing their brow in confusion, “What?”

“You told me that nobody you lived with ever wanted you to stay,” Jasper whimpered, losing all composure. If homeworld could see just how malleable she was now, surely she’d be shattered. “And I started crying. Like now. And do you know why?”

Diamond numbly shook their head.

“Because not long before that I was alone. I had been abandoned by my own planet, my diamond had been shattered, I spent over a year being beaten down by a fusion that I tried to muscle into existence just to defeat the enemy in battle, I forced a corrupted gem to fuse with me and corrupted myself in the process—I was a  _ bad person _ , Di—and I had to live with the fact that since I emerged from my defective kindergarten, everyone, be it homeworld or the Crystal Gems, people only associated with me for convenience. I was Homeworld’s strongest soldier and a war icon, so why would they shatter me with the rest of my defective sisters? I was stuck on earth, and beaten so badly by corruption and fusion, but I could still pack a punch, so why would the Crystal Gems send me away?”

Jasper paused when she realized she was sobbing and Diamond had matching tear tracks running down their cheeks. She shook the kid lightly by the shoulders and pressed her forehead to theirs, “But then you come along, you sweet little diamond of a kid, you followed me to the temple, you rode on my shoulders, you started calling me ‘mom’ before I even knew what that meant. So when I heard  _ you _ telling  _ me _ that nobody wanted you, I was so appalled that this planet would be so cruel as to make you feel that way. I promised myself that I would protect you and love you and make sure you never felt that way again. You’re  _ my  _ diamond, so don’t you tell me that nobody wants you, because you are my whole  _ world _ . Do you understand?”

Whimpering, Diamond nodded their head, crying, “Why couldn’t I be your kid?”

“You are my kid,” Jasper cried. 

“No! I mean,” Diamond wiped their nose on the sleeve of their shirt, “why couldn’t you be like human or something and my birth mom?”

“I don’t know, Kiddo,” Jasper heaved, trying to compose herself as she pulled Diamond into a hug. “But, I do know that either way I  _ am _ your mom as far as I’m concerned and I’m Onyx’s mom too.”

Diamond wrapped their little arms around her neck and sniffled a few more times as they calmed down. 

“Is that what’s been bothering you the whole time?” Jasper finally asked. 

“I—kind of,” Diamond heaved. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Is there any more you want to talk about?”

“No.”

“Okay,” Jasper nodded. “Well, I’m sorry if I haven’t been giving you enough attention lately, or if I haven’t been giving you enough time with your brother. I’ll try to be better.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Diamond muttered. “I’m sorry I got mad.”

“You don’t need to be sorry about that,” Jasper said gently. She then pulled Diamond out of the hug and said, “But you do need to complete those assignments you missed in history!”

“But moooom!”

‘No ‘buts’! She’s nice enough to give you the week to complete them,” Jasper said. “Do you still have them?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay good,” Jasper said, kissing her kid on the forehead. “We can work on that together tomorrow, but tonight you need to get some sleep.”

“Okay,” Diamond nodded, managing a smile. 

“But no TV until you finish those assignments,” Jasper added. Diamond’s face twisted into that of protest but melted quickly.

“Got it,” they answered. “Goodnight, Mom.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” 

With that, Jasper went back to Onyx’s room to find it dark. He was sound asleep in the crib so Jasper decided not to disturb him and see if Steven was still in the house at all. 

But first...oh man, she needed to sit down. 

Ohhhh stars, she did not feel good. 

She didn’t even make it to the kitchen chair, she went down one stair and started feeling nauseous. At least, she thought that was nausea she was feeling. She got down two stairs and had to sit down because the world started spinning and her entire left side was throbbing. Jasper let out a groan and held her head in her hands. 

“Hey Jasper?” Steven called out hesitantly, rounding the staircase. “Woah—you okay?”

“‘Sup Rose Bud?” Jasper grumbled, not bothering to look up. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?” Steven asked. “Your arm…”

Jasper let out a growl and glanced down at her arm. The corruption had spread into spots running up the length of her shoulder. Clods almighty.

“I’m fine.”

“Do you need to talk about it?” Steven offered. “Or I could try some healing spit—”

“Thanks but no thanks,” Jasper huffed. “I think I just need to get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

“Okay,” Steven said, eyeing her skeptically. “Well, just be careful. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

“I will,” Jasper said, steadying herself enough to rise to her feet and escort the young man to the door. “Thank you Steven, truly.”

“Not a problem, Jasper!” Steven grinned. “Goodnight!” 

“Goodnight,” Jasper waved as she closed the door. She drug herself up the stairs and into her room before she collapsed on her bed, holding her side. The ceiling spun above her and she tried to close her eyes. “I just haven’t slept is all,” the quartz told herself. Surely that was all that was wrong. 

That  _ had _ to be all that was wrong. If not for her than her kids. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I wish I could say next chapter will be happier but seeing as I have it half-written and it's really not then I know I'd be lying if I said otherwise.


	19. Diamonds are Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is fine. 
> 
> Until it's not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I have an explanation for my absence. 
> 
> Sooo, short story is a lot of life happened. Full story has a lot of gritty details that will turn this explanation into its own fic. Basic synopsis is this:
> 
> So after I posted the last chapter, I had this chapter written and ready for beta-ing. Well, around that time my wonderful beta, Cape was in the beginning of a moving process and getting a new job, etc. Meanwhile, my mom is moving to Texas so I got hung up on that as well. I did a LOT of writing in the meantime (let me tell you driving from my hometown to freaking Texas is a chore, especially when you're on dog duty aka sitting in the back seat unmoving so he can use your legs as a pillow) and now I basically have all but like...two chapters written to complete this story? 
> 
> So basically, between my writing, and Cape and I both moving/helping family move we have such a backlog of chapters that need to be beta'd that it resulted in over a month's hiatus and way too much material to sort through in a timely manor. 
> 
> SO! I talked with Cape and we decided that for you wonderful lovely readers who are very anxious to see how the next events play out, I will be posting everything I have so far unbeta'd and on a set schedule so you guys have ample time to see the updates and have something on a consistent basis until the conclusion of this fic (until the sequel), and as Cape gets through betaing each chapter, I will go back in and update chapters with the final product. 
> 
> Basically, all this really means is I'M BAAAACK~~~~~ :D 
> 
> And also the next few chapters might not be as perfect but gosh dang it I did a lot of proof reading so it should be close save for formatting or grammar issues!

_ The Pink Lady protects all the kids whose parents abandon them, because we are never meant to be alone.  _

_ That’s what a bigger kid told me when Mommy left me.  _

_ I don’t like the grown ups. They call me a case number. They call me by a name I don’t like. It was okay when Ma called me that name. But Ma isn’t with us anymore, my Grammy said. That’s why she gave me up.  _

_ I’m scared. _

_ I don’t want to be a bother anymore. _

_ I want to help Ma. I want to give her medicine so she feels better, that’s all she needed right? So why didn’t it work? It was supposed to help, right? _

_ A girl finds me crying under the bed I sleep in, looking at me with narrow eyes and a scowl.  _

_ “Why are you crying?” she asks.  _

_ “I want my Ma to come back,” I whimper. _

_ “Why? Our mommies didn’t want to look after us,” she says, holding her hand out. That only makes me cry harder until she says, “but that’s okay because the Pink Lady does!” _

_ “W-who’s the Pink Lady?” I ask, taking her hand and crawling out from under the bed.  _

_ “The Pink Lady is a magical lady that wears all pink and glows in pink too,” she explains. “She looks after kids who were left by their parents. She protects us, even though we can’t see her.” _

_ “If we can’t see her then how do we know she’s pink?” I ask. _

_ “Because there’s a rumor that you see the Pink Lady on the day you meet your forever family!” the girl cheers. I smile at that, and wipe my eyes dry. From that day on, I spend my nights looking for the Pink Lady and hoping, praying, that I find home with her.  _

  
  


Diamond jumped to alertness as they sat up in bed, not sure if Onyx’s crying or the dream itself was what woke them. Ugh...they hadn’t thought about the Pink Lady in a while. Ever since meeting Mom, they tried to push that fantasy out of their mind. At least, everyone they told thought the Pink Lady was a fantasy or little more than an imaginary friend. They never tried telling Mom about her. No one else could see her anyway, so she probably had been just that. 

But it didn’t matter, Diamond had a home now and the Pink Lady helped Onyx find Mom too, so that was all that mattered, right? After all, you don’t need the Pink Lady when you have your forever family. 

At least, that was what Diamond had to keep telling themselves as they hopped down the stairs that morning. Would Mom ever leave them? Of course not. But for some reason, Diamond still had to fight off that sick pit in their stomach.

It had been an even longer time since Diamond had thought about their Ma…

And  _ she _ had convinced them into thinking she would never leave. 

Diamond paused at the stairs, clutching their head as they fought to hide images of their birth mother away, her face pale and her arms covered in tiny bruises that Diamond had all but memorized.

“Go away,” they muttered to themselves, trying to muscle the images away. Shaking themselves off, Diamond bounded down the rest of the stairs to find the lights dimmed in the kitchen as Mom handed Onyx a bottle. 

“Honestly, kid, you’re gonna wind up taller than me if you keep eating this much,” she muttered to the baby in his high chair as he sucked at the bottle in his tiny hands. It was still a little too big for him to hold on his own so Mom kept a steady hand on the bottom of the bottle (if she tried to hold it for him, sometimes he’d swat it away). Chuckling to herself, Mom patted Onyx’s head with her free hand before she looked up and saw Diamond. 

“Good morning,” Diamond greeted, sitting on one of the bar stools. 

“Diamond!” Mom yelped in surprise. “What are you doing up so early?”

“Getting ready for school?” they raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s Saturday, Kiddo,” Mom grinned, slightly amused. “You aren’t usually up for another couple hours on the weekend.”

“Oh,” Diamond grunted. “Well, I’m awake.”

“Well, I’m not mad,” Mom chuckled. “It gives us more family bonding time.”

Diamond reared their head back slightly at that comment. “Wait,” they laughed. “Say that again.”

“Say what again?” Mom raised a brow.

“Say family bonding time again,” Diamond insisted, pulling out their phone and opening snap chat. “I need to document this for your fans.”

“Diamond!” Mom barked. “Cut it out!”

“No say it again!”

“Do people follow you on snapchat too?”

“Uh yeah,” Diamond shrugged. “I made mine public. It’s basically just full of videos of you doing something dumb at all hours of the day.”

“Diamond!”

“What? You let me cameo on your channel all the time!” Diamond shrugged. “I just extended your audience’s viewing platform by showing them a ‘Day in the Life of Jasper’.”

“Okay but I don’t know if I’m comfortable with random strangers are following you on an account I can’t monitor,” Mom groaned. “You are only twelve after all.”

“Mom, it’s fine, I’m going to be thirteen soon,” Diamond assured. “Plus I don’t follow anyone back.”

“I don’t know if turning thirteen makes me feel any better about that but okay.”

“Just say the thing, Mom!”

“Ugh, fine,” Mom sighed before clearing her throat. Diamond jumped in delight and pulled up the app to take the video. Rolling her head back in slight disbelief, Mom braced herself before she placed her hands on her hips with a stupid look on her face and said, “I’m so excited for family bonding time!” 

Diamond nearly broke out into a fit of cackles as they put the video on their story and sent it to Alexis, Steven, Connie, Amethyst, and Peridot.

“You aren’t sending that to any of your friends, are you, Diamond?” Mom asked. 

“Nope,” Diamond lied with a grin. They put their phone away after that but before they could say anything else Onyx broke out into cries again.

“What?” Mom asked, as if the baby was an adult that could be reasoned with. She lifted him into her arms and patted his back gently until he let out a soft burp. Diamond watched intently, feeling an odd pang in their chest again. Mom continued muttering words of encouragement to Onyx, saying “It’s okay, you don’t need to get so fussy, Mommy’s here” and while they had to admit that they would never get over how comical the image of swol and tol Mom holding smol and not swol Onyx to her chest was, Diamond still couldn’t shake that icky feeling. 

But Mom, ever attentive to everything, glanced up at Diamond with those knowing golden eyes and smiled softly, “Here, help me with your brother.” 

Diamond jumped slightly. “With what?”

“Hold him for me while I get breakfast started,” Mom suggested, taking a few steps forward to deposit little Onyx into their arms. Diamond had to brace themselves as they took Onyx. He was so much bigger against their skinny frame than he was against Mom. And he had been putting on a lot of weight really quickly (which was good, it just made it harder for Diamond to gauge how heavy he was going to be whenever they picked him up).

“You good there, Kiddo?” Mom asked. 

“Yep,” Diamond grunted, balancing Onyx on their hip. “Though how come he isn’t in the high chair?”

“He likes to be held,” Mom said. “Plus, you like holding him. You two need--”

“Wait!” Diamond said, struggling to pull their phone out of their back pocket with a free hand. “Okay, now go!”

“Uggh,” Mom groaned. “You two need more family bonding time.”

Diamond giggled as they sent the second snapchat of the day. Yep, this was definitely going to become a meme. Onyx babbled to himself and clapped his chubby hands against Diamond’s cheeks for a moment, giggling as he squished them together. Diamond smiled at Onyx, his flat nose and almond eyes were just too cute to be true. 

“Hey Mom,” Diamond asked as the gem flipped a few pancakes.

“Yeah?”

“Where would Onyx’s gem be?” Diamond asked, holding their hand up as Onyx patted clumsy high-fives on it. 

Mom hummed to herself for a moment, finishing a few pancakes and sliding them onto the plate. She then turned to face Diamond and held her hands out to take Onyx for a minute. She took the baby in hand and held him to her face and grinning, “It would be on that cute tummy of his, of course!” 

Diamond giggled at that, watching as Mom gave Onyx a gentle raspberry on his stomach, causing Onyx to squeal with laughter and kick his little legs. Mom drew Onyx away from her face, glanced at him and then glanced back down at Diamond to say, “I’m not repeating that for snapchat.”

“Okay fine,” Diamond huffed taking Onyx back. As Mom’s hand brushed against Diamond’s arm that time, however, they froze. Diamond glanced down at Mom’s hand, following her arm as she moved. Sure enough, the inflamed spot on her hand had even darker patches within it, but they couldn’t see up past her sleeve--

Sleeves.

Mom was wearing sleeves?!

“Mom!” Diamond yelped. 

“What?” Mom raised a brow. 

“Why are you wearing long sleeves?” Diamond asked. Mom glanced from Diamond, down to her arm, and back up wearing a suspiciously blank expression.

“Because I felt like it?” 

“But you never wear sleeves,” Diamond noted. “How bad is your arm?”

“Diamond, I’m fine--”

“Mom!” Diamond waled. 

Onyx’s cries interrupted whatever panicked speech they had prepared altogether. Diamond jumped, bouncing Onyx lightly and apologizing to him for yelling before turning back to Mom and said, “Are you  _ sure _ ?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Mom insisted. Diamond glared up at Mom and fought hard to keep their birth mother’s face out of their mind. 

The more Mom kept pretending she was okay while that corruption, as Steven called it, spread up her arm, the harder it was to keep Mommy’s voice from calling out to them in their imagination, asking them to find her more medicine.

Rocking on their heels, Diamond relented still, sat Onyx in his high chair and ate their breakfast with Mom in silence. After a moment, Mom sighed, “I’m sorry.”

“Huh?” Diamond raised a brow. “What are you sorry for?”

“For worrying you,” Mom ran a hand through her hair. She looked absolutely defeated.

And tired. 

And...Diamond couldn’t unsee her grit teeth and strained eyes trying to focus what was ahead of her. She looked like she was in pain. 

“Mom, it’s fine--”

“No it’s not!” Mom snapped, slamming a fist on the table. They both jumped at the action before Mom’s eyes widened and she glanced up at Diamond with worry, “Diamond, I-I’m so sorry, I don’t know why...I just didn’t sleep well last night so my temper is a little short today.”

“Hey, it-it’s okay,” Diamond pushed themselves to say. Like hell it was. Something was wrong with Mom and she wouldn’t let them help. Mom took several breaths before she looked back up and smiled. 

“You just worry about me too much is all,” she said, playfully sliding the beanie over their face. Diamond let out a muffled gag and scrambled to push it back up so they could see and, you know,  _ breathe _ before they found that downcast expression again on their mom, “I just feel bad I wind up make you worry that much is all.”

“Well, I’m an inherent worrier,” Diamond shrugged. “So it’s to be expected.”

“Really?” Mom teased. “You? A worrier? Whaaaat?”

Diamond laughed at that, sticking their tongue out at Mom. The rest of the day turned into a lazy one, they finally finished all the homework assignments they had missed at school over the last couple of weeks (how embarrassing) and, when Mom checked everything to give them the okay, Diamond immediately turned on the TV and they sat on the floor with Onyx watching movies all day until they received a text from Alexis.

“Hey Mom?” Diamond asked. “Can I go to the boardwalk with Alexis this afternoon?”

Onyx crawled on the floor and giggled as he attempted to play with the colorful images and blue speech bubbles on Diamond’s phone, but alas, Mom didn’t respond. 

Hm.

“Moooom?” Diamond called again. They could’ve sworn she was in the kitchen working on lunch. 

No response. 

Diamond felt their brow furrow as they rose to their feet and stepped around Onyx to check on Mom. Onyx let out a few whimpers, trying to crawl after Diamond as swiftly as he could, babbling, “Di-Di!” 

“I’ll be right back, Onyx,” Diamond assured. They waited for Onyx to rock backwards onto his butt into a sitting position before they crouched down, unlocked their phone and slid it his direction. Watching Onyx clap and smash his hands against the colors, Diamond slid into the kitchen. 

And they found her in a position that almost made them scream from the familiarity of it all.

She was hunched over the sink, bracing her full weight against the edge of the counter, groaning in pain.

“Mom!” Diamond cried out. 

“What?” Mom grunted, looking up in a daze. She did not look good. She blinked several times, her eyes coming into focus. 

“What are you doing?!” Diamond gasped. At that, Mom stood upright in alertness.

“I…” she glanced at the floor, “I stubbed my toe!” 

Whatever Diamond was about to say back, they lost their train of thought. “O-oh.”

“Yeah,” Mom hissed, bending forward, grappling at her foot. “Damn, that really hurt too.” 

“Oh,” Diamond nodded. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” Mom grunted, looking up. “Anyway, what did you need?”

“Alexis wants to know if I can go to the boardwalk this afternoon.”

“Oh, yes of course,” Mom nodded. “What time?”

“Mmm, like after lunch?” Diamond suggested. Mom glanced at Diamond blankly for a minute before she jumped. 

“Oh stars! I completely forgot about lunch!” She gasped. “Sorry, Di, I’ll get that going for you right now!”

Diamond giggled at that, figuring it wasn’t that big of a deal until a secondary thought registered, “Wait, what have you been doing here this whole time?”

Mom glanced around with that same blank stare again before she gruffly shrugged it off and grumbled through her lunch preparation and asked them to go grab Onyx. After lunch and doing damage control on all of the incoherent text messages and facebook posts Onyx had made, Diamond slid into their tennis shoes and were out the door. They practically barreled into Mom to give her a hug and ruffled Onyx’s hair before they left.

“Take care, sweetie,” Mom said. “And call me when you get there and then when you are on your way home, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Diamond chirped and with that, they turned to walk down to the boardwalk of Beach City. 

They turned to wave goodbye one last time to find Mom bouncing Onyx gently as he flapped his arm and cheered, “Bye-bye Di-Di!”

* * *

 

It felt like she had been trudging slowly and painfully through a fog all day, just worsening as the day progressed. Sleeping  _ did _ help, but it was becoming less and less helpful as the days passed. And on this day, Jasper couldn’t even find a comfortable position to rest on the couch, even as Onyx napped on her chest. She was caught in a state of complete and total bodily exhaustion and laying wide awake unable to even close her eyes.

Giving up, Jasper tried to sit up and put Onyx down for his nap in his crib. However, she caught her arm on the back of the couch and heard a loud  _ riiiiip _ !

“What the!?” Jasper grunted, pulling her arm away to find a large tear in the fabric. She glanced down at her arm, noticing a large spike protruding from her forearm, pushing clear through the fabric of her sleeve. “Oh great,” she muttered to herself, standing up. 

Onyx squirmed in her free arm and opened his eyes, glancing up at Jasper with a giggle. 

Well, it looked like that nap went out the window. 

Jasper struggled to set Onyx down on floor, giving him a few toys to play with before going into the kitchen to heat up a bottle of his medicine mixed in with baby formula. That in and of itself proved to be more of a chore than she had ever anticipated. Dizzy spells had been recurring ever since parent-teacher conferences and this moment was no exception. Bracing herself on the counter, Jasper tried to take a few steadying breaths. 

Did the idea of calling Kathy and asking for help pop into her mind? Yes. Was she going to? No. Her kids were fine she could muscle through this herself, she was certain.

Granted that certainty was starting to fade over time but…

Jasper felt a sudden stabbing pain attack her square in the gut and she doubled over with a scream. 

No.

No no no no no, not now, not when she was alone with Onyx! She was fine! Everything was fine! It had to be fine! 

She had to think of good thoughts. She had to think about Diamond and Onyx. They were such good kids...oh but clods they deserved better than a dysfunctional gem for a mom like her! 

“Gagh!” Jasper gasped. Okay...think of something different…

Kathy. Oh stars, Kathy...how Jasper could still feel the warmth of her breath against her chest when she pulled the gem into a hug. Her beautiful blue eyes. Her smile. The hitch in her voice when she laughed. Jasper, dare she say it,  _ loved _ Kathy from every corner of her gemstone. 

But did she even reciprocate the sentiment to Jasper?

Ugh, probably not. 

Jasper pressed her forehead to the ground in pain. Dammit, this wasn’t working! 

Jasper tried to plow through every good thing in her life that didn’t have some kind of dark smear of paint on the horizon to it but the only thing that pulled her out of her thoughts was Onyx’s cries for attention.

“I’m sorry, Onyx!” She huffed, struggling to her feet and fighting to finish heating the bottle with the formula and medicine inside. Stars, how long did she keep him waiting? A glance at the clock couldn’t tell her, but she hoped not long because Onyx was still sitting patiently where she left him and he smiled when she knelt down and gave him the bottle. 

Jasper sighed to herself and sat down fully, facing the baby. Everything was fine, she just had to keep telling herself that. 

“Everything is fine, right Onyx?” Jasper said out loud. Onyx glanced up at Jasper with sparkles in his eyes as he continued sucking down his medicine. He let go of the bottle and dropped it on the floor when he was done, then held his hands out to be picked up. Jasper chuckled to herself and reached out to pick up the bottle with her good hand.

“Careful there,” Jasper said, “You’ve got some milk on your chin.”

Without thinking, she reached out to wipe the dribbles off the baby’s face. She never had to think or worry about hurting her baby boy. She knew how to take care of him. But before she could register that the sudden attack of pain had resulted in large claws and spikes to reform on her hand and arm, she had caught the flesh of his chin with one. Onyx’s face contorted and screams escaped his throat with crimson blood as Jasper jumped back in a panic. 

“Oh no, Onyx, I am so sorry!” Jasper pleaded, wanting to reach out and dab the blood away but she suddenly realized that she couldn’t. She…

She had hurt him.

She had hurt her  _ son _ . Her little onyx.

Jasper glanced down at her hand, covered in gnarly claws and green spikes, and caught glimpse of a spot of blood on one claw. 

She should have comforted her little boy, pressed a compress to stop the bleeding, held him to her chest. 

Instead, the only thing the quartz could do was scream at the horror she had just committed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....yeah so...maybe brace yourselves because the next few chapters are gonna...they gonna be a little stressful. 
> 
> I'll have the next one up by this weekend! 
> 
> (PS: Brownie points if you know which book I drew inspiration for the Pink Lady for. It's lesser known and I had to dive into my memory archives to like...eighth grade scholastic book fair for the idea and I'm almost 22 now so. I was really proud of myself, alright!)


	20. A Diamond Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....it's 4pm on a Friday night where I'm at, this counts as the weekend, right? 
> 
> Right. 
> 
> Kay. Cool. Welp. I've also become increasingly aware of how poor the timing on my part was in terms of what chapter to kick off the end of a hiatus with. 
> 
> Annnnnd I wish I could say this chapter makes things better buuuut....you know what? Just read. There'll be a happy ending in here somewhere, just keep reading! 
> 
> (Also, the first name I gave Dr. Maheshwaran is what the Steven Universe Wiki told me her name was. Idk how canon the wiki is but I'm rolling with it for now!)

Whether it was a blessing or a curse that Diamond returned shortly after Jasper’s meltdown, the gem couldn’t be sure. 

But stars, Onyx wouldn’t stop crying...he wouldn’t stop  _ bleeding. _

She had hurt him. She couldn’t...she couldn’t hold him. The spikes were just getting bigger she couldn’t stop it, she--

“Mom! I’m back, why didn’t you answer--” Diamond’s voice rang out as they stepped through the door. There was a pause before she heard Diamond yelp, “Mom! What happened?!”

“I--uh,” Jasper struggled to find her voice. “Could you get the first aid kit?”

She couldn’t bring herself to turn around and face her child. She just couldn’t.

“Sure, but why?” Diamond asked. Jasper heard small footfalls until they were next to her and suddenly let out a yelp, “Mom! Y-you’re arm!”

“I’m fine, Diamond,” Jasper barked. “Just...I can’t handle Onyx like this so can you please just get the first aid kit.”

“O-okay!” Diamond muttered. Within moments they were back and slid on their knees with the kit, “Okay! I have it!”

“Get some gauze pads out and hold it to his chin,” Jasper instructed and Diamond moved swiftly. Onyx’s wales only escalated and Diamond did everything to try to hold him on their lap and comfort him as Jasper sorted through the kit with her good arm to find some disinfectant. 

“Mom, how long has he been bleeding?” Diamond asked with a furrowed brow. Jasper glanced down at the handful of tissues that she attempted to use before Diamond returned and were now lined about. She couldn’t really get a good grip without hurting him again so they had been all but useless. 

“About...twenty minutes?” Jasper guessed. It hadn’t been that long but it felt like an eternity. 

Diamond glanced up at Jasper in alarm, “ _ Twenty _ minutes?”

“I haven’t been able to apply a lot of pressure on his wound, Di.”

Diamond let out some kind of uncomfortable groan, “Yeah but-but when I stepped on a sea shell a few years ago before Kathy left, you guys took me to get stitches because the bleeding didn’t stop after ten minutes!”

“Yeah, I know, but you’re here and can handle him so please keep applying pressure,” Jasper snapped back. Stars, it was so hard for her to think with her arm throbbing like this. 

“Mom, it’s not stopping,” Diamond protested, tears leaking out of their eyes. “I think we should call Dr. Maheshwaran.”

“Diamond!” Jasper snapped, whipping her head to face the kid, but one look at the blood now staining their jacket sleeves and three gauzes soaked through on their lap only confirmed Jasper’s worst fear. Stiffly, she stared at the ground the seemed to be coming out from underneath her and managed to say, “Her number is on the fridge, can you bring it to me?”

“Mom, I’m holding Onyx--”

“Diamond, please,” Jasper choked, her voice faltering. She didn’t want to admit it but...she was afraid to stand. She didn’t want to move suddenly in her panic or else she’d…

No. That wasn’t going to happen. Not in front of her kids.

Wordlessly, Diamond sat Onyx back on the floor and went to the kitchen, returning with the piece of paper and an ashen look on their face that seemed like something out of a nightmare. Composing herself, Jasper tried to fight through the pain just to hold onto the freaking piece of paper as she dialed the number with her good hand. 

“Dr. Maheshwaren,” the woman’s voice answered almost immediately.

“Hey, Priyanka,” Jasper huffed, trying to keep her composure. She watched as Diamond lifted Onyx into their arms, trying to carefully wipe blood off his chin. “It’s Jasper.”

“Oh, hey Jasper! How are you?” she responded, sounding cheerful. “I’m glad you called, Connie was hoping you and your family could join us for dinner this weekend.”

“Uh, yeah,” Jasper cringed. “That’d be great but uh, I need some advice from a doctor real quick. Onyx he...he got cut on the chin pretty badly and we can’t seem to get the bleeding to stop.”

“Oh my goodness,” Dr. Maheshwaran muttered. “How long has he been bleeding for?”

Jasper felt herself sink through the floor. She knew she should’ve taken him to the hospital several minutes ago and here she was, being stubborn. “Twenty minutes,” she finally admitted. “Maybe a little more.”

Dr. Maheshwaran was silent for a long time, likely mulling the information over, possibly judging Jasper as unfit to be a mother (which she wouldn’t disagree with there). But surprisingly, her response was calm and not as harsh as she thought it should’ve been, “I’d bring him into the ER to get looked at. I know how hard it is to hold an infant still long enough to deal with cuts and scrapes properly, but at this point it’s better safe than sorry. I can meet you there, does that sound alright?”

“We can do that,” Jasper grunted. “Thank you.”

“And Jasper?” Dr. Maheshwaran added, “Don’t beat yourself up over this. Toddlers fall and hurt themselves all the time.”

Jasper felt sick to her stomach as she hung up. Yeah, well most toddlers didn’t have moms with spikes protruding out of them if they lost control of their temper either. Diamond sat in the back seat of the van with Onyx, holding a compress up to him and neither of them spoke during the entire drive. When they checked in the nurses almost immediately called them back to an examination room (okay, so  _ now _ Jasper understood the importance of having good health insurance for kids. The whole thing was still a scam though).

Diamond held Onyx on their lap, their legs bouncing gently while Jasper tried to fill out paperwork, her hand cramping and seizing up altogether. 

“Mom?” Diamond’s voice was tiny. “Is your arm okay?”

“It’s  _ fine _ , Diamond,” Jasper growled, noting that, if nothing else her sheer force of will could drive the spikes away for a short period of time to make herself appear less unsightly. 

“Yeah but,” Diamond started and somehow Jasper just knew the kid was going to to echo her own fears: “What if it gets worse?”

“Diamond--” Jasper started but was paused when a young nurse came through the door. 

“Onyx?” she intoned, glancing at her chart. 

“Yeah, that’s this little guy,” Jasper grunted. “I’m still finishing up the paperwork…”

“That’s alright, I’m just here to get his vitals and some extra information for Dr. Maheshwaran,” she said with a chipper voice. “Awww, somebody got a booboo I see?”

Jasper had to hold back a grimace. She...she didn’t know why but she wasn’t particularly a fan of using this ‘babytalk’ as she heard it called around Onyx. Sure, she spoke in a different tone to Onyx than she did around other people but hearing dumbed down words like ‘booboo’ were just a little off-putting and she didn’t know if that was just her parenting style or if the thought of uttering the words herself took a shot at her pride.

“Yeah, he got cut on his chin pretty bad,” Jasper answered. Onyx’s crying had calmed down slightly, but his eyes were still puddles and he let out the occasional whimper from time to time. The nurse was careful as she approached Diamond, gently lifting the gauze off of his chin to look at the wound. 

“Oh, you poor thing you really did cut yourself up,” she noted, throwing the soiled gauze away and pulling out a clean one to apply to his chin, she then looked up at Diamond and smiled, “Yeah, if you could keep holding that to his chin and just tilt his head up slightly for extra elevation. Perfect! You’re a good big sister!”

“Sibling,” Diamond and Jasper corrected simultaneously. 

“Oh!” The nurse chirped. “I am so sorry, sweetheart.”

“It’s okay,” Diamond grinned. “And thank you.”

The nurse smiled at Diamond and went over to the computer in the room to pull up Onyx’s patient file. “So he’s obviously here for that nasty cut on his chin, is there anything else going on? I see he’s had quite a few surgeries in the past.”

“He’s pretty much recovered from all of that,” Jasper explained. “Dr. Maheshwaran is keeping him on a special formula still since he had so many complications from surgeries in the past.”

“Okay,” the nurse nodded. “Is he still on Zantac for gastric reflux?”

“Yes,” Jasper answered. She could all but memorize the list of questions the nurses asked her every time she set foot in a medical building by now. She just wished they would get to the point and dress his wound already. 

“And he’s given that through his bottle formula?”

“Yes,” Jasper answered, gritting her teeth. 

“Okay,” the nurse typed some notes on the computer before she asked, “And how did he hurt himself?”

Jasper froze suddenly, subconsciously glancing at the kids beside her and locking eyes with Diamond. They wore an expression that somehow matched the utterly sick feeling that shook her to her core.

“I…” Jasper started, her voice failing her. What was she suppose to say? She had basically just proved to herself that she was an endangerment to her children thanks to this blasted corruption.

Why wasn’t she stronger than it?

Why wasn’t she better?

Why couldn’t she be the mom that her kids needed for once?

“It was my fault!” Diamond’s voice shot through the darkness like a bullet, jolting Jasper back to awareness. She stared at the child incredulously. What the hell were they saying? 

Diamond glanced down at Onyx with a panic, their face paper white, dark eyes trembling and filling with tears. “I-I was looking after him while Mom went to run some errands and...annnnd he was wanting to go outside and explore the backyard and it was nice out but my friend called and-and I turned away and the next thing I knew I heard him crying. He’s...been walking a lot more lately and I guess he tripped and fell and caught his chin on something sharp. I tried to figure out what it was but I panicked and called Mom and...I’m real sorry…”

Whatever sick, horrified feeling had settled over her in the last hour, it had scooted over enough to make room for some kind of maternal rage.

Diamond was  _ lying _ . 

To the nurse’s  _ face _ .

“Diamond--” Jasper hissed, but only received a look from her own kid that mimicked one she had thrown at Di every time they tried to attempt something that was well above their capabilities. 

That just seemed to piss her off all the more. 

The nurse didn’t even question them as she typed the notes down, making some kind of sympathetic groan. “Aww, poor thing. It can be hard keeping an eye on a little guy when he’s running around outside, trust me I’ve learned that from experience with my own kids.”

“Y-yeah,” Diamond responded stiffly, as if they were still holding their breath.

Yeah, they damn well should be. Jasper wanted so badly to correct the nurse but she found herself stuck in the realization that opening her mouth and stating, “Sorry, my eldest is lying and is trying to cover my butt because corrupted spikes shot out of my arm and sliced my son’s chin open,” would only make things worse for all of them. 

It was a few minutes between when the nurse left and Dr. Maheshwaran finally stepped into the room, looking like she had sprinted straight from her car to her examination room just for them. 

“Alright, I’m here,” she greeted, “Sorry about the wait.”

“Thanks for coming, Priyanka,” Jasper said apologetically. Despite being eight feet tall, she felt so small at the moment. 

“Not a problem,” she said, “now how’s little Onyx doing?”

“He’s not crying as much,” Diamond noted. Onyx let out a pitiful little whimper.

“Poor thing,” Dr. Maheshwaran sighed. “Let me see him to get a better look.”

She took him in her arms and set him down on his back on the examination table, gently pulling back the gauze and after a few moments she nodded her head and said, “He definitely needs stitches, but he’ll be okay. Maybe just give him a good healthy dose of juice when you get home and keep fluids in him to account for the blood loss. Otherwise he’ll be just fine.”

Jasper nodded her head numbly as Dr. Maheshwaren worked, pulling out various tools to stitch his wound up. “Now this may sting a little so Jasper, if you could sit with him and keep him calm.”

“Sure,” Jasper said, scooting her stool over closer to the table where Onyx was fussing slightly. She started to place her hand gently on her head but froze. 

What if...what if something else happened?

“Jasper?” Dr. Maheshwaren asked, pulling Jasper out of her own thoughts.

“Yeah! Sorry,” Jasper grunted, trying to force herself to believe that everything was okay and that she wouldn’t hurt Onyx again. The doctor only took a few moments, but watching her sew his wound close made Jasper wince. Onyx let out a few little cries but held surprisingly still. He always grew suspiciously quiet when he was in a doctor’s office, no matter the situation and Jasper didn’t really like that ominous change in her baby. 

He wouldn’t have had to put up with it if she hadn’t hurt him.

“Alright, that’s done,” Dr. Maheshwaran breathed as she applied some disinfectant and tape to cover the sutures. “I used dissolvable sutures so all you need to do is keep it clean while his chin heals. And from now on, Diamond, I strongly suggest that you don’t take Onyx outside when you’re at home by yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Diamond nodded, deflating slightly. Jasper still felt incredibly uneasy, and that was an understatement.

“Jasper, could I see you for a second?” Dr. Maheshwaran then asked as she set Onyx down in Diamond’s lap. With him cleaned up, Jasper could see several blood stains covering his jumper and Diamond’s shirt. 

Ugh, what kind of parent was she?

Wordlessly, Jasper rose to her feet and followed the doctor out of the examination room and into the hallway. As soon as Jasper closed the door the woman about-faced and looked Jasper up and down with a stern look. 

Of course, she could see through Diamond’s lie. 

“I called you out here,” Dr. Maheswharan started, “because you are clearly beating yourself up over this way more than you need to be.”

Jasper stiffened. 

What?!

“What are you talking about?” Jasper managed to ask, but the doctor only broke out into soft chuckles. 

“Accidents happen, Jasper,” she said, “Even with as careful as my husband and I were, Connie still got herself hurt from time to time. With toddlers especially, there’s always bound to be at least one hospital trip. This is nothing compared to what I’ve seen some kids get themselves into.”

“Y-yeah…” Jasper felt her face contorting.

“You’re doing a great job, Jasper,” Dr. Maheshwaran assured, placing a hand on the quartz’s shoulder. “You’re a fantastic mom and Diamond is a great older sibling. Maybe just set a few extra boundaries for babysitting Onyx, but go easy on them. Accidents are always bound to happen.”

“Alright,” Jasper huffed, glancing at the ground. Diamond wasn’t the one that needed extra boundaries…

“And go easy on yourself, too,” Dr. Maheshwaran added with a stern voice. “Even on the best mother’s watch, things can happen but it’s not your fault.”

_ Yes it was! _

“Alright, thanks, Doc,” Jasper grunted. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Do yourself a favor and have a nice, relaxing evening, okay?” she added.

“Same goes to you,” Jasper forced herself to smile and pretend things were alright. “Connie’s going off to college soon, I shouldn’t be taking you away from dinner like this.”

“Oh please, it’s the least I could do,” Dr. Maheshwaran chuckled. Jasper nodded and stepped into the examination room to grab Diamond. Onyx started fussing again when he got into the car but finally settled down after they arrived at the house and Jasper lifted him into her arms. 

The way little Onyx just cooed with contentment as she picked him up and immediately nestled his head against her chest nearly cracked her gem. 

He trusted her.

Diamond trusted her. 

And she was an endangerment to both of them. 

Before she could wallow anymore in self-pity, Diamond’s cheering about how they were glad that hassle was over snapped her out of it. 

“Diamond,” Jasper said in a low voice as she put Onyx in his high chair. “Don’t go upstairs just yet.”

“What’s up?” Diamond asked. 

Jasper took a deep breath to compose herself before she turned and asked, “Why did you lie?”

Diamond visibly recoiled at that. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you lied to Dr. Maheswharan and the nurse about what happened to Onyx,” Jasper crossed her arms. 

Diamond’s face fell and they looked at the ground. 

“Diamond, look at me,” Jasper pleaded. Diamond huffed and gave Jasper a hesitant glance. “Why did you lie?”

Diamond was silent for a long moment before they finally admitted, “Because I didn’t want Dr. Maheshwaran to think you did something wrong!”

“But I did, Diamond!” Jasper spat back. “And you lied to her!”

“No you didn’t! It was an accident!” Diamond insisted, “You-you didn’t mean it! You’d never hurt Onyx! You’d never hurt me!”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” Jasper snapped. “And that’s not the point of this discussion, Di, you  _ lied _ about what happened!”

“I was just trying to help--!”

“I don’t need you to help, Diamond!” Jasper barked. 

“Why not!?” Diamond snarled back with an intensity that not even the quartz herself had expected from her child. “Why do you keep pretending everything is okay when it’s not!?”

“Diamond, this isn’t your problem to deal with--!”

“JUST LET ME HELP YOU FIND MEDICINE, MA!” Diamond roared so loud it startled Onyx. Jasper recoiled at that. 

Ma…? 

“Diamond,” Jasper heaved through a furrowed brow. “What medicine?”

The child was heaving so hard she was worried they were having some kind of asthma attack (they didn’t even have asthma!) but the question snapped them out of it. Diamond jumped, blinked several times, their eyes watering as they muttered, “I-Mom-I…”

Their eyes were distant, somewhere in a far off memory that not even Jasper knew about. 

And then it hit her:

They weren’t looking at Jasper. They  _ hadn’t _ been looking at Jasper, not since before parent-teacher conferences. For the first time, Jasper realized that she could see their birth mother’s reflection in her child’s eyes. 

And their birth mother died. 

“Diamond,” Jasper started, her voice shaking. “I’m not--”

“I need some fresh air,” they blurted out suddenly, pushing past Jasper to put their coat on. 

“And where exactly are you going?” Jasper asked, finding it really suspicious that Diamond was grabbing their coat when the weather out was way too warm for that. 

“Out!” they huffed, shrugging it on and fumbling with their pockets.

Jasper caught the faintest glimpse of a warp whistle in one.

“Diamond,” Jasper barked. “You are  _ not _ warping out of Beach City, do you understand?”

“Mom, I’ll be back in an hour!” Diamond protested.

“No! You are not going anywhere until we are done talking!” Jasper protested, stomping into the living room. 

“I just need some fresh air!” 

“DIAMOND!” Jasper roared, trying to stop them. 

The response they gave her was the slamming of the front door. Jasper let out a frustrated growl as she stomped to the front door and peered out the window to see Diamond sprinting to the front of the yard, grabbed their bike, and took off in the general direction towards the hill that led straight to the temple. 

“Of course,” she groaned, smacking her head against the door. The only thing that kept her from chasing Diamond down and dragging them back to this house was Onyx’s howling from the other room. 

It was moments like these when Jasper  _ reeeeally _ wished she had taken Kathy up on that offer from months ago to drop everything and come home. A stay-at-home... _ something _ would have at least made things easier for Jasper to leave the house and find Diamond without worrying about leaving Onyx…

...Except Jasper already was a stay-at-home Mom because she worked off the internet so what even was the point!? 

“Ugggh!” Jasper smacked her head against the door again before she tended to Onyx, bouncing him gently in her good arm to calm him down while she struggled to dial the phone, pacing across the living room just hoping that Steven--or at least  _ someone _ would pick up. 

And of course they didn’t. 

Then she tried Connie, but alas, nothing. 

When she tried Steven a second time, however, she heard Amethyst cackling on the other end of the line as she picked up. 

“What up!” Amethyst howled. “Jasper, who gave you a phone!?”

“I’ve had a phone, Amethyst!” Jasper snapped back. “Listen, are you at the temple?”

“Uh, yeah,” Amethyst responded. “I’m chilling in the kitchen waiting for Steven to get back. Get this: he finally asked Connie out on a date and the goon was so nervous he forgot his phone! Sooo I’ve been having fun with it and taking pictures--”

“Did Diamond come through?” Jasper interrupted. Her head was pulsating, it hurt so bad. 

“Yeah, like a couple of minutes ago,” Amethyst answered, finally getting serious. “They seemed pretty upset, what happened?”

“Did they say where they were going? Where did they warp to?” Jasper asked, avoiding Amethyst’s question.

“Yo, Jasp, it’s okay, they didn’t go far, just over to see Blue and the others--” Amethyst rattled off before she stopped abruptly and Jasper felt the floor fall out from underneath her.

“They went to see  _ Blue!? _ ” Jasper panicked. “ _ How _ do they even know how to get there!? How long have they been going there!?”

“Uhhhh,” Amethyst droned. “I dunno.”

“Amethyst!”

“Jasper, it’s okay! Blue knows them! She likes them! They all do!”

“You  _ knew  _ about this!?”

“Jasper--”

“THAT’S IT!” Jasper roared, throwing her phone to the ground. She’d probably regret that later. In the meantime, she grabbed the baby-carrier and slammed it on the ground in her fit of rage before she actually knelt down and forcefully threw a handful of diapers and other supplies in the side pockets, gently strapped a confused Onyx in, and grumbled while she strapped the carrier onto her body. 

Marching her way to the temple only fueled her anger more with each step. First Diamond lied about what happened to Onyx, then they run off, then apparently they’ve been sneaking off to throw themselves at dangerously corrupted gems because who-knows-why behind  _ her back _ !?

Ohhhhh that kid was in  _ huge _ trouble. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, I know I just made things worse. Trust me, I know. I'm sorry.


	21. Diamond Mines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper uncovers a secret Diamond had been keeping from her and is absolutely furious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy! It's that time of day again!
> 
> Also, side note, Blue was the nickname Steven gave one of the corrupted quartzes in an earlier chapter that Diamond "didn't go to visit" in the chapter where Greg had to explain puberty to Jasper. I am realizing that my timing of return happened at a time that referencing a character as being named "Blue" comes really poorly after we met Blue Diamond in the Steven Bomb that just aired. XD woops.
> 
> ALSO WHO'S SO HYPE FOR THE FAMETHYST RAISE YOUR HAND! 
> 
> ALSO ALSO GUESS WHO GETS TO REWORK HER FIC SERIES AROUND THE FAMETHYST A LIL BIT~~~~ 
> 
> It won't be too much. If anything, the introduction of Holly Blue Agate and the Famethyst in the Bomb made my life a heck of a lot easier in terms of a plot point I've had planned working itself out without too much struggle (you'll see what I mean in like...2 chapters) 
> 
> Of course...now I have to figure out some things in regards to the Famethyst...but I guess this just means Diamond and Onyx are going to have at LEAST 40 aunts in the eventual future (can you IMAGINE Carnelian and Skinny trying to play babysitter??? Because I can and it is glorious). 
> 
> Anywho, like the last two, this version is posted unbeta'd. As Cape gets to it the final, perfectly polished product will replace this version eventually!

Amethyst was visibly shaking when Steven came prancing through the front door. 

“Amethyst!” Steven cheered, looking like he had ascended to a new plane of existence. “I’m in love, I’m in love! And I could scream to the whole world about it!”

“H-h-hey, Ste-Man,” Amethyst breathed nervously. 

“And you won’t believe! The wondrous sites I have seen!” Steven spun in circles around the kitchen island Amethyst was sitting on. “And when I dropped her off--Amethyst, she  _ kissed me _ !”

“That’s...great,” Amethyst felt like she was going to throw up.

She didn’t know what snapped him out of his stupor, but Steven blinked a few times, still wearing that dumb smile as he asked, “Everything okay?”

“Well, how do you feel about your best friend getting crushed to pieces by one of her sisters?”

Steven gave her a bemused, albeit blank stare. 

“Amethyst,” he laughed, “What are you talking about?”

“I mean Jasper found out I’ve been letting Diamond go see Blue and the other quartzes!” Amethyst shrieked.

That seemed to finally sober Steven up. 

“What!?” He shrieked. “How!? What happened?!”

“Well, Diamond came through the house looking really upset and said they were going to go see Blue and calm down, and then they just warped away!” Amethyst felt like she was pulling her own hair out of her skull, “But then Jasper called asking where they went and--I screwed up!”

“Oh geez,” Steven, knowing full well he was partially responsible for the issue now at hand, looked as if he was realizing that his first kiss with Connie was likely his last. “What did you say?”

Amethyst couldn’t really remember but in the time that it took her to find words, they heard thundering footsteps shake the foundation of the temple. 

When Jasper burst through the door, Onyx strapped to her chest in a baby carrier, eyes full of homicidal intent, Amethyst was pretty sure she blacked out for a minute out of sheer terror. 

Not even when they were at their worst odds did the purple gem feel genuinely afraid of her eight-foot tall counterpart from Beta. 

But she was definitely scared for her life now. 

“Jasper!” Amethyst and Steven shrieked. They stared at Jasper, hunched over the doorway, heaving. She looked absolutely feral. If such rage wasn’t directed towards her, Amethyst would’ve burst out laughing at the ridiculous juxtaposition of her son bouncing and cheering with glee in his baby carrier, limbs flailing about. 

“Where,” she heaved, “is  _ Diamond _ !?”

Steven let out a terrified squeak. 

“J-Jasper, just calm down, okay?”

“ _ Calm!? _ ” She roared. “How can I be  _ calm _ when my child is running around with  _ corrupted quartzes _ !?”

“I--” Amethyst froze. She had come up with a million and one arguments for why she thought it was stupid Jasper didn’t want Diamond around corrupted gems, one of which being that their own mom was  _ very obviously _ at least half corrupted, no matter how much of her form she had gotten back. But when she was faced with the conversation she had spent over a year psyching herself up for...well…

Shit. 

“Wait,” Steven started, “Jasper...are you okay?”

“I’m perfectly  _ fine _ , Steven,” Jasper let out a monstrous growl. She sounded absolutely…

Not herself, to say the least.

Amethyst forced herself to look Jasper in the eye and jumped slightly. Her arm was almost completely green with corruption, swollen and enlarged and painful spikes spurred out from her wrist and elbow joints. She wasn’t just heaving out of anger. She was in pain.

“Jasper,” Amethyst tried to calm herself as she spoke, “Maybe you should sit down--”

“ _ I will find my baby! _ ”

“Okay, that’s fine,” Steven coaxed. “We can take you to them...d-do you want me to watch Onyx while you’re gone?”

“ _ Why?” _ Jasper growled. 

“J-just because he’s so tiny! Who knows how his first warp would go if he’s that small?” Amethyst pulled the excuse square out of her ass. She wasn’t sure what Steven was thinking, but if she couldn’t protect Diamond from Jasper’s wrath (well...the kid did give her a scare apparently…) she could at least keep the toddler out of the line of fire until he earned his own tongue-lashing fair and square. 

Jasper glared fiercely at Amethyst before her gaze flitted over in Steven’s direction. She let out a snarl before relenting. Steven hesitantly approached the gem and carefully lifted Onyx out of the baby carrier. The baby giggled and wrapped his pudgy arms around Steven’s neck and the moment Steven and Onyx were cleared out of Jasper’s path, she launched herself towards where Amethyst sat.

“ _ Where are they!? _ ”

“Amethyst will take you to them!” Steven screeched. 

“What!? Why do I have to go?” Amethyst whined, fearing for her life. 

“I just had a great first date, I’d like to live to see the next one,” Steven quipped. “And I have Onyx.”

Amethyst groaned, avoiding eye contact with her sister quartz as she hopped off the counter and trudged to the warp pad. 

She just hoped she wasn’t about to be the indirect cause of a murder scene. 

* * *

Diamond stomped their feet into the ground as they paced back and forth, ranting tirelessly while Blue rolled onto her back. Whether she was listening to them or just chiming in with sympathetic barks and growls. 

“It’s just so unfair!” they cried out. “I’m just trying to help! And she never lets me! It’s like she doesn’t even trust me anymore!”

Blue let out a whine that, for some reason, just made Diamond even more frustrated. 

“I know she cares about me, but come  _ on _ , Blue!” they shrieked. “She won’t even give me a chance!”

Diamond had to let out another yell as they kicked a rock as hard as possible. Blue let them be for a moment before Diamond felt a large head gently nudge them in the back. 

“I’m being too hard on her, aren’t I,” Diamond groaned. 

Blue let out a noise that sounded vaguely like a ‘yes’ but only continued to nuzzle them affectionately. 

She kept nudging her head against Diamond until they relented and gave the corrupted gem the head-scratches she deserved. Blue responded by ducking her head down and walking into Diamond more, but that only succeeded in pushing them backwards, their shoes caking up dirt and mud in the process. 

“Blue!” Diamond giggled, “Stop!”

Blue let out a grumbling noise from the back of her throat. Was she...purring?

Diamond laughed at the thought and sighed, “I should get back to my mom, shouldn’t I?”

With an adamant nod, Blue started pushing Diamond towards the warp pad. Geez, was she trying to parent them too? Well...Blue  _ had _ been a quartz and if other quartzes were anything like Mom, then there probably was still some strong maternal instinct in there. Which would explain why Blue was so much more gentle with Diamond than she was the gems and--

Diamond froze when the warp pad lit up. 

“Oh no,” Diamond moaned, dread engulfing their entire form.

Please be Amethyst, please be Amethyst, please be Amethyst!

Well they got half their wish. Amethyst was standing on the warp pad looking like she was staring down death row next to Mom.

And Mom…

Oooooohhh stars, Diamond was so dead.

“H-hey, Mom!” Diamond squeaked, “Where’s Onyx?”

“ _ Get on the warp pad!” _

Diamond felt their entire body lock up. They had never seen her this angry before…

“I--”

“ _ Diamond!” _ Mom growled, stomping off the warp pad and swiftly grabbing hold of their arm. The force she generated nearly knocked Diamond off of their feet.

“Ow!” Diamond cried out. She  _ never _ grabbed hold of them like that. “Mom, stop!”

“ _ Then do as I say! _ ”

“Jasper, hold on!” Amethyst pleaded, “You aren’t yourself right now!”

“ _ Don’t tell me what to do!” _

“Mom!” Diamond yelled again. She was  _ really _ hurting their arm. And she seemed so angry...she…

Diamond was scared. 

She’s never looked at them like that before. 

What was happening to her?

Whatever it was, it seemed to set blue off the minute she exchanged a glance with the corrupted quartz. Blue let out a loud snarl, trying to get in between Diamond and their mom. And of course...that only set  _ Mom _ off even more. 

“ _ Get away from my child, you filthy monster!”  _ she roared, kicking at Blue. 

“MOM!” Diamond screamed, managing to yank their arm from her grasp. “Leave Blue alone!”

Mom’s entire body seized up, shoulders and back tensing visibly. A bright yellow eye stared down at them. 

Diamond swallowed all of their courage down and shouted, “Blue’s done nothing wrong! She was just looking out for me! You-you were really twisting my arm there...this isn’t her fault, it’s mine!”

Something in Mom’s expression seemed to change and Diamond was finally seeing more of their mom and less of...whatever horrible creature was threatening to take her away from them.

Instead of relenting or apologizing, Mom just turned her back to Diamond and Blue, demanding, “Get on the warp pad.”

This time, Diamond didn’t bother hesitating. Blue let out a concerned cry and reached towards them with her front arm, but didn’t move further than that. Fighting a glance back, Diamond tried to wave at her, certain that (after whatever punishment they just earned themselves) it wouldn’t be long before they could warp to see her again. At this point, Diamond was more shocked that it was  _ Amethyst _ who initiated the warp back to the temple, but no one said anything. Glancing up at Mom, Diamond noticed the pained lines etching her face. Heaving a sigh, Diamond glanced down. And to think that just this morning everything was going so well, so  _ normal _ . 

Except for that freaking Pink Lady dream. Letting out a groan, they couldn’t help but wonder if she had something to do with all this. Wasn’t she supposed to bring you  _ to _ your families not cause problems with them?

When they returned to the temple, Diamond found Steven holding Onyx on his lap and the baby lit up when he saw Mom. Normally, no matter what argument Diamond and Mom had gotten into, Mom would manage a smile and scoop Onyx up, holding him close to her chest. That was, by far, Diamond’s favorite view of their Mom. Seeing her so happy, so relaxed, so nurturing...it both made Diamond so incredibly happy and so incredibly jealous that Onyx could experience that first-hand at such a young age. His earliest memories would be of those moments, and Diamond’s…

Would be just running barefooted in the cold desperately searching for medicine and the Pink Lady. 

And they never even told Mom. 

On this night, Mom didn’t even give an ounce of warmth towards Onyx. She merely strapped him into the baby carrier and muttered a “let’s go” in Diamond’s direction before heading out the door. Diamond was slow to follow, and as they trudged down the stairs, they could hear the faint beginnings of conversation between Steven and Amethyst. 

“Steven, she’s not okay.”

“How bad was it?”

“I haven’t even seen her act like that before. Not since…”

“What?”

“Since Smoky Quartz fought her in Beta...when she got corrupted…”

The word burned Diamond’s ears and sent a shock down their spine. They didn’t want to hear any more. They took off sprinting down the stairs, tears stinging their eyes and they didn’t even see Mom at the end of the stairs, waiting for them. 

“Oof!” Diamond grunted, running into her. Diamond jumped, looked up at Mom who merely stared down at her with a blank face that they hadn’t seen since they first met her. “Uh...sorry...lost my footing.”

Mom merely just turned back around and kept walking, saying absolutely nothing until they got to the house. She didn’t even acknowledge Diamond or what had happened as she took Onyx up to his room and put him to bed. Not sure what to do, Diamond hovered at the doorway of his room, feeling sick to their stomach. 

“Do you...need any help?”

Mom swiftly changed his diaper, tossing the old one in the trash. 

“Mom, please--”

“You’re grounded.”

Diamond stiffened. “W-what?”

Mom set Onyx down in his bed and turned out the light before she pushed past Diamond without even looking at them. She paused outside her own room and heaved a sigh before she finally turned around to look at them and held her hand out, “Give me your warp whistle.”

Hearing that probably hurt more than anything Mom could have said to them. They tried to keep a strong face, but they couldn’t fight back the tears that fell when they pulled the whistled out of their coat pocket and deposited it in her hand.

“Mom, I’m sorry--”

“And I don’t want to hear it,” Mom snapped. “I  _ trusted  _ you, Diamond, I--”

Her volume escalated before she promptly cut herself off with a groan.

A deep breath. 

Mom steadied herself and finally said, “You don’t leave this house unless it’s for school or errands or unless I say so. You want to be able to warp off to wherever you like? Take your bike down to the boardwalk even? You’re going to have to earn those privileges back and earn my trust back, got it?”

“Mom--”

“ _ Got it _ ?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Diamond deflated, not even trying to hold back tears anymore. They didn’t care how frustrated they were earlier, nothing was worth breaking Mom’s trust like this. She wouldn’t even listen to their apologies as she slammed the door to her room shut. Feeling numb, Diamond retreated to their bedroom and changed into pajamas. Not even able to muster up the energy to brush their teeth, they cried themselves to sleep that evening. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .......kay so this is one of those "it gets worse and then it gets worse and then it gets better" type deals. (I'm so sorry)


	22. What's the Use of Feeling Blue, Diamond?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Onyx awakes in the middle of the night, but when Jasper doesn't get up to tend to him as quick as she normally does, Diamond takes the matter into their own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SWEAR THINGS GET BETTER WITH THIS CHAPTER! I SWEAR! 
> 
> Also definitely tried to upload this yesterday and wifi crapped out. So I had a bunch of good notes in here for you guys but I don't remember what they were. Huh. 
> 
> Well...like I said, just hang in there friends. The current angst episode will be over soon!! 
> 
> (Oh! Fair warning: Diamond and Jasper do have a much needed, but heavy conversation in this chapter about the things that have been bothering Diamond and whatnot. Just be prepared~)

Diamond wasn’t sure if it was their stomach growling or Onyx crying next door that woke them up. Probably both. As they drifted into a better sense of awareness, it occurred to Diamond that in their frustration, they bolted out the door before Mom even got started on dinner. And it was already near dinner time when they took Onyx to the ER...and it was easily near bedtime when they got home from the ER. 

Groaning, Diamond didn’t want to bump into Mom and have to explain that, no, they weren’t running off they just needed  _ food _ , so they waited to hear her footfalls crossing the hallway before they snuck downstairs.

Onyx’s cries only escalated with no sign of Mom incoming. Huh. 

Covering their face, they tried to will their stomach to stop contorting.

“Uggggh, Moooom!” Diamond whined, finally giving in and throwing the covers off. If they were going to have to deal with Mom, they might as well prove that they were a responsible teenager at least. They stepped out of their room and knocked on the door of Mom’s. 

No response. 

“Moooom!” Diamond whined, “Listen, I know you hate me right now, but Onyx is crying and I don’t know how to tell what he needs!”

There was...kind of a response this time. More of a loud, yet muffled thunking noise like it was coming from the master bathroom.

Rolling their eyes, Diamond opened the door. The bed sheets were disrupted like she had been tossing and turning and the light was on in the bathroom. There was another loud thumping noise followed by a pained groan that caused Diamond to yelp. 

“Mom!?” Diamond asked in a hushed voice, approaching the bathroom. They peeked their head in to find Mom on her knees, oversized clawed hands gripping the bathroom counter with so much force the marble crumbled under her grasp. They could only see her back but she hunched forwards and let out a groan that sounded more like a growl and--

Diamond gasped, withdrawing from the doorway and planting themselves flat against the wall. 

Maybe...maybe Diamond should go check on Onyx afterall…

And call Kathy. 

Of course, it didn’t occur until  _ after  _ Diamond got Kathy’s voicemail that it was well after one in the morning and she was probably sound asleep. Oh well, voicemails never hurt anything. 

“Heeeey, Kathy,” Diamond started, “Uh...sorry it’s so late, I’m just afraid I’ll forget to call you in the morning but uh...so...okay before I start I’m not trying to get out of anything but I definitely got grounded today, I know I’m at fault it’s just...Mom’s...not been herself? Like at all? Like she’s been really angry and basically Onyx is crying and I don’t know what he needs and I went to ask her but she’s like...currently in the bathroom in a lot of pain acting more like a corrupted gem than anything and I don’t actually know if that’s a bad thing but if you could just not say anything to Mom or Mr. Johnson or anyone and call or text me back when you get this that’d be greeeaaaat. Love you! Bye!” 

As soon as they hung up they regretted calling Kathy. 

Oh she was going to freak out so bad. They spent a solid two minutes debating whether or not to text Kathy to just ignore that voicemail but when Onyx’s screams changed in pitch they yelped, dropped their phone, and ran up to his crib. 

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Diamond grunted, picking Onyx up. “What do you need, dude?”

Onyx just responded to her with angry tears and flailing limbs.

“Did you poop?” Diamond asked. “Are you hungry? Oh stars, did we all forget to eat dinner?”

Onyx quieted down slightly and looked at Diamond intently they said the word “hungry”. At least he could understand English just fine. 

“Okay, I’ll uh...do you want babyfood?”

Onyx let out a whine.

“Baby formula?”

A chirp told Diamond to go down and just heat up a bottle. Which was great, because there was no way Diamond was in the mood to wrestle sweet potatoes into Onyx’s mouth in the early morning. 

“Okay,” Diamond set Onyx back down and he gave a confused whine as he gripped the bars of his crib so he could stand and look out of it. “I’ll be right back, okay? I’m just going to heat up your bottle.”

“Otay,” Onyx babbled. 

Diamond nearly flew off the stairs as they skidded into the kitchen and tried to make the bottle as quickly as possible whilst shoving a cheese stick in their face before they flew back up the stairs and into Onyx’s room where he was waiting -- surprisingly -- patiently. 

“Okay, hopefully it’s how Mom makes it,” Diamond huffed, setting the bottle down to take Onyx out of the crib.

“Eeeeehhh!!” Onyx screeched, swatting Diamond’s hands away. 

“What?”

“Eeeeh!” Onyx shouted. 

Diamond stared down at their brother in confusion. “Dude. English. I know you have it in you.”

That just earned them a pouty face before Onyx stared longingly at the bottle. 

“You just want me to hand you the bottle?”

“Ye!”

“How about I just pick you up and--?”

“No!”

“Onyx you drop your bottle every time you--”

“No!”

“Dude, give me a break here!”

“No!” 

“Okay, fine!” Diamond rolled their eyes handing Onyx the bottle. The toddler babbled happily as he took it in hand, struggling to lift it to his mouth.

“You know, Onyx,” Diamond thought aloud, “Most babies your age don’t drink baby formula anymore...maybe we should start weaning you off of that stuff.”

Whether Onyx registered his sibling’s tease or not, Diamond couldn’t be sure, but they did receive an adorable side-eye from him. They knew full well his digestive track was just a little bit behind the rest of his body, but stars, they only had so long to tease the little guy before they went off to college and had to be a responsible adult that they had to start somewhere soon. 

“You’re really cute, little man,” Diamond giggled as they reached down to ruffle Onyx’s hair. Onyx stared attentively up at Diamond as he downed the last of his bottle, dropped it, and held his arms up as he clenched and unclenched his hands into little fists. 

“Up!” he ordered. 

“What’s the magic word?” Diamond crossed their arms, trying to mimic Mom. 

“Peas!” 

“And carrots?” 

“Peas!” 

“Okay,” Diamond stooped down to hoist Onyx up into their arms, patting his back to try and get him to burp. Normally, Mom could get two good pats in and he’d let out the belch of a century, but she made it look a lot easier than it actually was. Diamond didn’t know how long they were bouncing and patting his back when Onyx let out an impatient groan. “I’m sorry, I’m trying,” they pleaded. Onyx just let out a little “harrumph” and settled his head on their shoulder. 

Oh stars, he was so precious…!

When they finally got a tiny burp from him, Diamond didn’t want to set him back down. They rarely ever held him like this, whether it was because it took Onyx a while to warm up to Diamond or because Diamond’s stubbornness got in the way or what, they didn’t know. They had spent all this time feeling sorry for themselves because they felt like it was their fault he didn’t take to liking them at first, and jealous that he got to be with Mom from infancy onwards...and suddenly now that all just seemed to silly. He was their little brother and clearly Diamond was a better sibling than they felt half the time because...well, he wouldn’t be sassing them before his second birthday if they hadn’t done something right. 

And Mom...was a really great Mom. Between rearing him to health and putting up with all of Diamond’s bullshit. They always thought of her as their superhero, but she was so much more than that. 

She was a supermom. 

A pang of guilt settled in Diamond’s chest for a moment. If they had just told her about Ma and the Pink Lady...she was their  _ mom _ , of course she would’ve understood and wouldn’t have tossed it aside. And it would have saved them both a lot of grief if they had just said something sooner.

But better late than never. 

Onyx lifted his head and let out a coo, squirming in Diamond’s arms a little bit.

“What?” they asked.

“Momm-y!” Onyx cheered with his broken baby talk. Diamond jumped at the word and spun around to find Mom standing in the doorway, looking completely exhausted. 

Exhausted, but herself. Nevermind the small patch of green under her eye and hiding on her neck under her hair. 

“What are you two doing up?” she asked. Softly. 

“Uh, well, Onyx woke up hungry and I figured that I’ve put you through enough lately that I figured I could just get him a midnight snack so you could sleep,” Diamond shrugged, trying to push the image of her hunched over in the bathroom out of their mind. 

Mom’s expression softened as she crossed the room to wrap her arms around both Diamond and Onyx. She almost looked...sad? 

“Am I too hard on you?” she asked gently. Diamond could only bury their face in her chest and groan the guilt out of their lungs in response. 

“No, Mom, I’m just a brat,” Diamond huffed finally, stepping out of the hug, “an ungrateful brat.”

“Now, you’re just being too hard on yourself,” Mom said, brushing hair out of Diamond’s face. She feigned a smile and added, “You’re a teenager. A teenager with a baby brother and a grouch of a mom to deal with.”

“You’re not a grouch,” Diamond mumbled, stepping back into a hug. “And I really am sorry…for everything.”

Mom stroked their hair gently and heaved, “I just wish I knew how to take all your pain and frustrations away. Or at least keep from adding to it.”

“Hey, Mom?” Diamond started. It was way too late to be having this conversation but they felt like they were going to burst at the seams if they didn’t do  _ something _ to ease Mom’s stress. Or their guilt. They frankly weren’t sure if Mom knowing would just stress her out more. 

“What is it?”

“There’s something I’ve never told you before...a couple things actually…”

Mom pulled out of the hug and gave Diamond a knowing glance before she offered, “Onyx looks like he’s about ready to conk out, how about you put him back to bed and we can talk.”

“Oh!” Diamond jumped, glancing at Onyx’s heavy heavy eyes. They set him back down in the crib and retrieved his bottle before Mom took the bottle and trotted downstairs to rinse it out before returning and leading Diamond into their room. 

They both sat down on the bed before Mom began: “I know that Blue has become a good friend of yours, and I saw how protective she was of you. And I know it’s probably not fair of me to take your opportunities to visit with her away, I just got so scared when you left for somewhere that I didn’t even know you had been going to and--”

“Mom,” Diamond stopped her, “It’s not about that. I know I lied to you about Blue and the others and I’m sorry, I really am. And I’ve been mean and angry and...in a stupid way I’ve been jealous of Onyx.”

“Why?” Mom asked. 

Diamond took a deep breath, “Onyx’s earliest memories will be of you holding him. Mine aren’t.”

It took Mom a moment to process what Diamond was saying, which was alright because it was taking Diamond a hot minute to figure out what they were going to even say next. Memories that they had long ago buried came surging back to the surface as tears welled up in their eyes.

“It’s my fault Ma died,” they whimpered. “I-she told me she needed a special kind of medicine but that doctors wouldn’t let her have it or they’d take me away from her...so...I would...go find it...I didn’t know what I was doing I just wanted her to be happy and--”

Diamond didn’t realize they were sobbing until Mom had pulled them onto her lap, holding them tight. They clung to her like a baby as their tears fell down their cheeks. They didn’t even know how upset they were until they couldn’t seem to stop crying. 

“Onyx is like you,” Mom’s voice echoed something Diamond remembered saying to her not long ago. “Except he doesn’t have to spend his early years trying to hold his family together. Is that right?”

Diamond choked up another sob, nodding their head. 

“And then comes your mom, overstressing and dealing with pointless flare-ups for no good reason and you get scared that this is going to be the same thing with your birth mother all over again, right?”

“Mom, no, it’s not like that--” Diamond started to protest, but one glance from Mom only confirmed to them that there was no fooling her. They could only duck their head back down and admit, “I’ve never seen you so sick before…”

“My body has done this to me plenty of times before,” Mom assured them, rocking them slightly to soothe them. “As much as it sucks and as scary as it can get for me too, this is nothing I don’t know how to deal with.”

Diamond glanced up at Mom again as she wiped tears out of their eyes with her thumb. With a smile, her voice almost betrayed her as the gem added, “But the scariest part is that this has never happened to me when I have something I so fiercely wish to protect.”

Sniffling, Diamond wiped the remaining tears from their eyes, “R-really?”

“Well, not really,” Mom said. With a kiss to Diamond’s forehead she said, “I actually have two somethings. Three if you count Kathy.”

Diamond let out a giggle, immersing themselves in another Mom-hug. Taking a moment, Diamond began again: “Um...would you believe me if I told you something...weird?”

“Of course,” Mom said. “As long as you can promise me you won’t lie anymore.”

Holding up their pinky on instinct, Diamond assured her, “Pinky promise.”

Mom chuckled as she took hold of Diamond’s pinky with her own. That had kind of become their thing over the years. Diamond tried to break of the habit as they got older and used it less frequently but...hell, a pinky promise was never broken as far as they were concerned!

“Okay, tell me,” Mom said with a smile. 

“Have you ever heard of the Pink Lady?”

Mom’s smile fell.

“The what?”

“It’s…” Diamond felt their face heat up. Oh this felt so stupid to admit out loud. “It’s this story that kids at the shelters would tell...they said that the Pink Lady is...you know what, nevermind, this is stupid.”

“No, Diamond, tell me!”

“You’re going to think I’m crazy!”

Mom gave Diamond a deadpan glare as she wordlessly held up her pinky finger for Diamond to latch onto. “I pinky promise that I won’t think you’re crazy and that I’ll believe you.”

Diamond pursed their lips together and took hold of the promise, stating, “Okay but I’m calling you out if you say anything otherwise.”

“That’s fine.”

“Okay,” Diamond took a deep breath, “They say that the Pink Lady watches over all kids who don’t have parents, and she helps them find their forever homes and families.”

“Okay,” Mom shrugged. “That seems reasonable.”

“They also say that you see the Pink Lady on the day that you meet your forever family,” Diamond added. Mom raised a brow, thinking on that for a moment. “I grew up on that story from the other kids. And...well, when they put me in foster care and I didn’t see the Pink Lady I started running away trying to find her.”

“Is that why you ran away from Kathy at first?”

“Well...that and I just didn’t like the beach all that much,” Diamond shrugged. “I learned how to work the system more or less.”

Mom was silent for a long time before she finally said, “Well, it’s an innocent children’s tale, Diamond, I don’t see what’s not to believe--”

“Except I’ve seen the Pink Lady!” Diamond finally blurted before Mom could finish. They held their breath while they waited for Mom’s reaction and the moment her expression turned to slight disbelief, they whaled, “You pinky promised that you’d believe me!”

“I--Diamond!” Mom grunted, “I believe you! Just...give me a minute you’ve thrown a lot of news at me in one sitting and you decided to do this hours after I grounded you after I found you hanging around with corrupted gems, my reaction time is a little delayed, alright?”

“Alright, it’s just that no one has ever believed me!” Diamond whaled. “Because I started seeing her when  _ other _ kids were getting adopted. And sometimes I’d mistake that family for being mine, and everyone thought I was crazy, and not even the kids getting adopted could see her! But she was right there!” 

Diamond didn’t realize they were flailing their arms in exasperation until they smacked Mom square in the jaw. “Oh! Sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Mom said with a start. She still appeared to be deep in thought. “So this Pink Lady...you could see her when other kids were finding their forever families?”

“Yeah,” Diamond nodded. “I even saw her when we met Onyx.”

Mom looked very intently at a stray article of clothing on the floor, “Did...you see her when you met me?”

Diamond couldn’t fight back their smile as they kicked their legs and said, “Why do you think I followed you to the temple? She even  _ spoke _ to me!”

A small smile traced Mom’s lips, “Really?”

“Yeah,” Diamond nodded their head emphatically. 

“Wow,” Mom breathed. “That’s...that’s really cool, Di.”

Diamond giggled, “So you believe me?”

“I pinky promised, didn’t I?” Mom joked, “Of course I believe you.”

With a sigh of relief, Diamond couldn’t contain a smile, “Thanks, Mom.”

Mom kissed Diamond on the forehead and lifted them into her arms briefly before setting them into bed, “Now, get some sleep, Kiddo.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, My Diamond,” Mom whispered gently. She smiled down at them before she added, “But you’re still grounded.”

Honestly, they didn’t know what to expect to be her final word, but for some reason hearing the words just caused a secondary bout of frustration as Diamond groaned, “Ugh, Moooom!”

“Goodnight, Diamond!”

“Goodnight, Mom,” Diamond relented, knowing full well that they didn’t have a whole lot of room to talk at present. But still, they felt a weight lifted off their shoulders knowing that their supermom would be okay. 

And that night, they dreamed of the Pink Lady

 

* * *

_ Kathy is nice. But she’s nowhere near the Pink Lady.  _

_ But I know she’s close. I can  _ see _ wisps of Pink and hear her footsteps, I know she’s close by, but where? I want to give up on finding her. She never comes for me. And besides, the beach is hot and the kids just look at me strangely, like all the other places I’ve been. David doesn’t speak, Kathy just looks at me with concern. Always.  _

_ So. I get up. And run.  _

_ I feel bad for running from Kathy. She’s nice. But she’s not with the Pink Lady.  _

_ I don’t know how far I run until I realize I’m lost. I slow my pace until I stop altogether. The sunrise is pretty at least.  _

_ Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of pink. I look over, and for a moment, I think I see her. Or at least her sparkly pink drapes that fall from her shoulders. _

_ “Hey!” a man’s voice calls out. I jump, turn, and find a police officer. I’m scared. “Are you lost?” _

_ Without thinking, I take off running again. I don’t like police officers. They say I need to listen to them, that they’re supposed to help me, but Ma always said to run if I saw them. So I do. I turn into an alley and climb into a dumpster, hiding from the officers in case they chased me. I wait. When I think the coast is clear I kick the lid open and slide out, but the world turns upside down suddenly. _

_ “Look out!” the voice sounds angry, demanding, but arms pull me into a hug I hadn’t felt since I lost Ma.  _

_ Actually...this hug was better.  _

_ In a matter of seconds my feet are touching the ground and I’m staring up at a giant orange lady as she punches some kind of monster with teeth and claws. It disappears. The orange lady sits up on her knees. She turns to me, I stare at her.  _

_ She’s even more beautiful than the Pink Lady.  _

_ “Tiny Human,” the Orange Lady grunts. “Where’s your...Greg?” _

_ “My what?” _

_ “I mean the people who look after you,” the Orange Lady looks flustered.  _

_ “You mean my parents?” I ask. _

_ “Yeah, that.” _

_ I feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach with the question. I glance down. “I don’t got any…” I admit. I wish I could just find the Pink Lady already… _

_...but this Orange Lady seems like a protector of some kind. Could she be a guardian angel? _

_ “Uh...okay,” the Orange Lady grunts. “Do you have any...other humans to look after you?” _

_ She doesn’t seem like she’d be an angel...I am pretty sure the Pink Lady is some kind of angel and she’s see-through. The Orange Lady isn’t. I take a stab at a different guess: “Are you an alien?” _

_ “Yes?” The Orange Lady cringes. “Okay, seriously, where are your caretakers? What are you called?” _

_ I puff my cheeks out at that. “My name is Sara but I don’t like it.” _

_ I watch as the Orange Lady bats her eyelashes in slow motion. She seems very confused, and she’s very big, but for some reason I feel very safe next to her. _

_ “Okay, Sara,” the Orange Lady started, holding up the rock that used to be the monster, “I have to go give this to someone else now before it hurts more people. So uh...you should go probably find another human.” _

_ With that, the Orange Lady stands up and turns so quickly I can’t say anything else to her. I stand still, watching her leave. Sadness fills my chest. I don’t want her to go. But as she rounds the corner, I see another flash of pink.  _

_ And there she is, the Pink Lady. _

_ She is watching the Orange Lady walk away with a sadness in her eyes that looked like how I felt. She’s even more beautiful than when I last saw her. She turns to me, and I can see her pink eyes sparkling like diamonds. She holds her hand out. _

_ “Dear one,” she says, “Why don’t you go with her?” _

_ I gawk at the Pink Lady. Her rose colored crown sparkles with her dark pink hair, but prettiest of all was the pink stone in her belly button. I walk up to her, tears stinging my eyes, “Are you here to take me to my forever family?” _

_ “My sweet child,” the Pink Lady kneels down--she’s so  _ tall _ \--and presses her hand to my cheek, “You didn’t need me to find your family for you. Like the most beautiful diamonds hidden in the rough, you’ve found her. And all by yourself.” _

_ My eyes widen and I look over to the now distant Orange Lady walking away. I gasp, realizing that the Orange Lady is better than a guardian angel! She was a guardian alien! _

_ The Pink Lady chuckles as if she can hear my thoughts, “Her name is Jasper, will you take good care of her for me?” _

_ I nod excitedly and the Pink Lady places a kiss on my forehead. “Good, now follow her. Follow her home, sweet little diamond of mine.” _

_ Diamond...I like being called that. Without saying much else, I nod and chase after the Orange Lady, wiping excited tears from my eyes. I follow her all the way to the beach, up the stairs and into a house with other pretty ladies like her until she jumps and notices me at her feet. She’s big, she’s beautiful.  _

_ She’s home.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I sure did Yuri on Ice this, didn't I! Mwahahahahaha~~ (Pretty sure I was the only person who was wondering what specifically prompted Diamond to follow Jasper home in the first place other than childish curiosity...I swear I've had this planned. I swear it!)
> 
> Certainly nothing else can go wrong from here...right? 
> 
> (I'm the worst kind of author, I know. I'm sorry.)


	23. You're a Diamond Dear...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper and Diamond are finally seeing eye to eye again after a much needed heartfelt conversation, but stars, Jasper is still so exhausted from staving off her corruption. But perhaps an outing with her oldest to go on a mission with Steven and Amethyst could help lift both of their spirits a little more. 
> 
> What's the worst that could happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....Before you guys read this chapter, I need you to know that I just posted a side story. You can read these in either order. But if you read this first, don't panic until you read the side story. 
> 
> We're going to hold hands and walk through this arc together. 
> 
> Anyway, I probably made you guys all nervous for nothing. That was rude of me. This chapter's going to be great! I promise! Jasper and Diamond have worked things out, things'll be just fiiiine~~~ 
> 
> Also, once again, this is unbeta'd until Cape is able to get to it. So my apologies for any formatting, spelling, or otherwise grammatical errors! 
> 
> Oh, though there is some imagery of blood at the tail end, just in case anyone can't handle that very well. But I promise it's nothing gory or anything. Tis but a flesh wound.

Jasper was in the middle of cleaning dishes when Steven burst through the door with Connie in tow. 

“Jasper! I think I--”

“What problem of mine did you solve this time?” the quartz asked, not missing a beat. It had become an interesting catch phrase of his, the empathetic problem solver that he was. Steven skidded to a halt, just barely stopping before he rammed accidentally into Diamond, who was en route to their bedroom to change out of their pajamas. That boy was getting a little tall for prancing around like that. 

“Steven! Be careful!” Connie scolded, echoing Jasper’s thoughts. “You could have knocked Diamond over.”

“Sorry,” Steven grunted, withering under his new girlfriend’s (finally!) stare. “Anyway, what I was going to say was that I think I...I mean...I was thinking that it would be really fun if you and Diamond came with us on a mission!” 

Jasper paused what she was doing for a moment to look the young man up and down. “Who is us?”

“Oh, well, Garnet saw a couple of corrupted gems in her future vision. They’re easy enough to take down so she recommended Diamond came along if they were free,” Steven explained. 

“I’ll...pass,” Diamond groaned at that. Jasper heaved a sigh. That fusion had terrible timing for her “recommendations” that was for sure. 

“Sorry, Steven, but Diamond’s currently grounded, maybe the next one,” Jasper explained. Stars, she felt a sick pit in her stomach from just saying that. 

“Well, that’s why I was hoping you’d come too!” Steven insisted. “You’re really fun to hang out with and it’s been awhile since you’ve come on a mission. And I know things are really stressful right now, but it would be so much fun if you and Diamond could go on their first mission together. You guys need the bonding time.”

If it hadn’t been for Diamond’s snicker, Jasper would’ve missed the joke laced in Steven’s words. She narrowed her eyes, “Diamond sent you that snapchat, didn’t they.”

“Eeeeeeh,” Steven shrugged, avoiding contact. On any other day, Jasper would’ve shot Diamond the fiercest glare she could muster or make some kind of quip, but she was too exhausted to acknowledge it. 

“Anyway, Steven, that’s a nice sentiment but this is awfully short notice, I can’t leave Onyx by himself, and I don’t have time to find a babysitter,” she protested. 

“And that’s where I come in, Ma’am!” Connie stepped forward, bowing to Jasper as if she were in sword training. “I would like to offer my services for today!”

Steven and Connie exchanged stupid grins before flashing them in Jasper’s direction. The quartz just crossed her arms, a pit of uncertainty forming in her stomach. She wasn’t exactly in the best condition to be going on missions right now…

She glanced at Onyx who was methodically trying to pick up a Cheerio to put into his mouth. Granted...considering the events from the previous day, it might do Onyx some good to spend the day with someone else for a change.

And Diamond...Diamond definitely needed some kind of break, even if they were grounded. A glance at the obviously hopeful and expectant look on their face told Jasper how desperately they wanted to go, no matter how much they tried to hide it. And Steven did had a point...it had been a while since the two of them hung out. 

Another glance at Diamond, then back at Steven and Connie. With an exhale, Jasper relented with a small smile, “Okay. Diamond, go get dressed.”

Diamond nearly shot five feet into the air. “Really!?” They shrieked, their face lighting up. 

“Yes, really,” Jasper nodded, “Now hurry, and don’t forget your swords!”

“Okay!” Diamond cheered, scrambling up the stairs. They were sprinting down and nearly leaped off the staircase as they forced a sneaker onto their foot in record time. “I’m ready!”

“Ah! Did you brush your teeth?” Jasper asked.

“Yes!”

“Did you floss?”

“Mooom!”

“You had a cavity last dental visit, and I’d rather not have to pay for anymore,” Jasper felt her brow furrow. 

“Well, cavities are a natural course of life for a kid, aren’t they,” Diamond negotiated with a shrug. “And we have the money--”

“Yeah, money that I’m putting towards your college,” Jasper placed her hands on her hips, “You get any more cavities and you’ll pay for them in tuition money when the time comes. Now go floss your teeth!”

Diamond groaned and trudged slowly up the stairs, but after a couple minutes they were bounding back down the stairs again, bouncing excitedly. “Okay, can we go now?”

“Yes,” Jasper chuckled, turning to Connie. “Okay, you know where everything is. Diamond and I will both have our cell phones on us so call me if anything happens. Or you can just call your mom...up to you.”

Connie giggled at that, lifting Onyx into her arms. “I’ll call you first and then my mom.”

“That works too,” Jasper grinned. With that and a raspberry to Onyx’s tummy and a promise she’d be back later, they were out the door and heading to the temple. They met Pearl and Amethyst. It was just Steven and Amethyst accompanying them on the mission but Pearl wanted to make sure that her youngest pupil was ready to go. 

“Alright Diamond, now remember,” Pearl began, “Stance wide, body lowered.”

“Balance is the key?” Diamond grinned.

“She sang that song to you too?” Steven asked with stars in his eyes.

Diamond giggled in response as Pearl patted the child’s head, “Now Diamond, despite how certain I am that you are completely capable of holding your own if a fight broke out, this is your first mission. Avoid engaging at all costs and let your mom and the others handle the corrupted gems.”

“Can do, ma’am,” Diamond bowed. When they stood back up they looked to Jasper and asked, “so when do we leave?”

“Well, why don’t you repeat the mission objective back to Amethyst,” Jasper grinned. 

“Uhhh, why me?” Amethyst asked. 

“Just. Pretend you can be a responsible aunt, okay?” Jasper grimaced. She was still real salty with her for introducing Diamond to Blue without telling her in the first place, but she was trying hard to move past it. As well as her...episode from earlier.

She still couldn’t believe that she…

No. Now was not the time to think about that. Her kids needed her. And Diamond needed this. They both did. 

“Ugh, fine,” Amethyst roll her eyes, “Take it away, Di!”

“Okay,” Diamond blushed. “Well. Garnet spotted corrupted gems in the rainforest with her future vision and there’s a possibility there could be a whole bunch congregating in one place. Our job is to find them, poof them, and if we see more, just scout out the area where they are gathering and try to figure out if there is a source drawing them in for some reason.”

“Amethyst?” Jasper asked.

“Sounds about right to me,” the runt shrugged. 

“Alright,” Jasper heaved a sigh, heading to the warp pad. She knew in the back of her mind that she’d be taking the helm of this mission even if it wasn’t her idea. And honestly, she had a feeling Steven and Amethyst were doing that on purpose. Annoying as the prospect was...she did kind of miss being on the field more often. And she definitely missed being on the field and in charge. “Let’s go.”

The other three followed closely behind her and Jasper let Steven initiate the warp. Diamond couldn’t contain their giggles the entire warp, and the sound was so sweet Jasper couldn’t help but smile.

“Contain yourself, Kiddo,” Jasper chuckled. “This is serious business.”

“Super serious!” Diamond put on a serious face, crossing their arms over themselves in a diamond-salute. 

Well, that was fitting. 

When they arrived in the dense forest, all was quiet, save for the chirping of frogs.

“We’ll follow your lead, Jasper,” Steven grinned. 

“Alright,” Jasper said gruffly, “Stay in a tight formation, everyone.” 

Steven and Amethyst followed closely behind her while Diamond kept trying to skip at her side.

“Diamond, stay behind me” she ordered.

“Well, I can’t see from behind you,” Diamond shrugged. 

“Diamond,” Jasper snapped, glancing down at them. They jumped at the tone of her voice and she instantly regretted saying anything to them. 

But good grief, the kid was right in the open and not on guard at all! What if they got hurt!?

Jasper grit her teeth and took hold of Diamond’s hand, saying finally, “Just stay close to me, okay? And keep your guard up.”

She could see them staring long and hard at her from the corner of her eye. She felt their slender hand gently squeeze hers as they smiled, “I will, Mom. I won’t leave your side, I promise!”

“I’d make you pinky promise if we weren’t moving,” Jasper shook her head. 

“Well, we’ll do that before we leave for the next mission,” Diamond suggested. The quartz soldier let out a chuckle and returned her focus to the task at hand. It was only a few steps later when Jasper heard something moving in the leaves. 

“Hold on,” Jasper grunted. “You guys catch that?”

Amethyst had beat her to the punch and already summoned her whip. Steven’s shield wasn’t far behind. Jasper summoned her helmet and ordered Diamond to get behind the others. They grabbed hold of the hilt of one of their swords but otherwise obeyed her orders. Taking a few steps in the direction of the initial disturbance.

“Careful, Jasp,” Amethyst whispered, but only earned a hush from the larger quartz in response. Crouching on the ground, Jasper listened for another moment and watched the bush ahead of her. 

She waited. 

The leaves rustled again and Jasper took a careful step forward, remaining in her crouched position. She heard a distinct clicking noise that was either a wild animal or a corrupted gem of sorts. Picking up a pebble, Jasper tossed it towards the shrub. 

A shrieking noise told her that it was definitely a corrupted gem and the creature came rolling out in a panic, mouth agape and ready to dig its teeth into the quartz.

Rearing back, Jasper barked, “Amethyst!”

“Got it!” Amethyst responded, cracking her whip. The gem evaded her and spun around Jasper and started bounding straight towards Steven and Diamond.

“Diamond, get behind me!” Steven ordered, but the gem was too fast and made a beeline for the child. 

“Diamond!” Jasper shrieked, and suddenly, several horrifyingly bloody images surged through her mind’s eye. Before she could react, however, Diamond skillfully withdrew one of their swords from its sheath and sliced clear through the corrupted gem, poofing it in one swing. 

“Nice work, D!” Amethyst cheered as the gem fell to the ground with a tiny ‘clink’. 

“Woo!” Diamond cheered, sheathing the sword.

Jasper heaved a sigh in relief, nearly wanting to collapse from just that one encounter. 

Beside her, Amethyst snickered. “Hehehe, doing alright there, Mama?” Amethyst cackled, giving Jasper several sharp pats on the shoulder. 

“Yeah, yeah, shut up,” Jasper grunted, staggering to her feet. That took way too much out of her. “Anyway, let’s just bubble this thing and look for the next one--”

Another, much louder noise snapped everyone to attention as Steven quickly bubbled and sent the corrupted gem off. “What was that?” Diamond asked before they were abruptly shushed by Amethyst. 

“Is that another one?” Steven whispered. Jasper shook her head with uncertainty, but readied herself to fight. In a flash of light, a gem burst to life, reforming as she stumbled from behind the bushes, gasping for air. She wasn’t corrupted in the slightest, but rather she looked like she was a gem from Homeworld, likely left behind after the battle that left Jasper stranded on Earth as well, a star adorned on her uniform. 

The gem staggered, disoriented, like it had been her first time poofing and she had never had to reform before. Still, despite her helpless state, Jasper sucked in a breath and instinctively recoiled away from her. 

An agate. 

An agate in Blue Diamond’s uniform. 

“Oh for heaven’s sake, what in tarnation!?” she sputtered, looking around, rubbing the gem on the back of her head. Her eyes fixated on the gems in front of her and her glare only became fiercer. “You! You’re the traitors!”

“How long have you been poofed for?” Steven asked instinctively. It had been a little over six years since Homeworld retreated from Earth. For this agate ( _ Holly Blue _ Agate, no less) to still be here without anyone knowing...she would have had to have been hiding in her gemstone this entire time. 

“Well, I don’t know, I’ve never been attacked like that before!” Holly Blue spat back. “But this is all your fault, isn’t it? Blue Diamond will have your heads for this!”

“Uh, sorry to tell you, but Homeworld fled Earth like...a while ago,” Amethyst stated nonchalantly as she tugged gently at her whip. 

“We can get you a shuttle home if you’d like though,” Steven offered. 

“I don’t want a shuttle,” Holly Blue Agate spate. Slowly, her ice cold gaze shifted in Jasper’s direction and the quartz felt an even colder terror settle in her chest. “But I do want to know why  _ you _ , of all gems would betray Homeworld!” 

Jasper stood, stiff and unable to move. What was she to say? She had cut her ties with Homeworld when they deemed her worthless. What choice did she even have? For some crazy reason Steven and Amethyst had convinced her that a life without Homeworld was worth living and that there was some kind of meaning even in a void and diamondless existence. 

“Hey!” a small voice tore through the tension, reminding Jasper that her existence was neither void nor diamondless. Which may have been even more terrifying. “Leave my mom alone!”

“ _ Diamond! _ ” Jasper hissed, stepping in front of them.

Holly Blue Agate’s face contorted in confusion. “I don’t know what useless drivel that human is barking but I will not stand for it pointing that-that  _ sword _ in my direction!” 

The agate’s threat coupled with the summoning of her own whip snapped Jasper out of her fear and her protective instincts almost immediately took over. With a growl, Jasper crouched down, ready to tear that gem apart. She didn’t care what Garnet said about offering refuge or transportation home to any Homeworld gem they found stranded on Earth, under no circumstances would Jasper let one of them threaten to harm  _ her _ Diamond. Especially not an  _ Agate _ . 

“W-wait, Jasper!” Steven urged, trying to stand in between her and the agate. “Holly Blue, wait. We don’t want to hurt you. You’ve been poofed for a while and probably really disoriented but we can help. The fighting is over. Let’s just get you home--”

“Enough of this!” Holly Blue barked, cracking her whip. “I will not be patronized by traitors! Especially not by  _ the Quartz that Could! _ ”

The agate lunged, and Jasper charged forward with as much force as she could. She grabbed hold of the whip, pulling against it and using that momentum to hurl Holly Blue Agate upwards and to the side, knocking her off balance completely. 

“Jasper, just try to poof her!” Amethyst urged. “We can bubble her and try talking to her later!”

“Yeah, I know,” Jasper grunted, trying to catch her breath. Stars, she was exhausted. But why, even? She hadn’t exerted that much energy. Holly Blue let out a growl as she staggered back to her feet, her hair out of sorts. Readying herself, Jasper charged towards the agate once again, but was slow to react when the cold whip cracked against her side with a force stronger than anything Amethyst or Smokey Quartz or her own agate had hit her with. She was thrown backwards with a grunt and sharp pain shot up her arm like a river of bullets. 

“MOM!” Diamond yelled, and that was when everything went horribly, horribly wrong. 

First, Jasper looked up, seeing her child draw both of their swords and attempt to strike Holly Blue. Amethyst and Steven chased behind them, not quick enough. Diamond was extremely skilled at dual swords and incredibly fast on their feet, but they were still only a child. And Holly Blue...was an agate. It took little effort for her to crack her whip, disarming Diamond of one sword and striking them on the face in one go.

“DIAMOND!” Jasper shrieked, rising to her knees, lunging at Holly Blue with a tackle. She could barely make out Steven drawing his shield and running to Diamond’s side helping them up as Amethyst used her whip to try to tie the Agate up. A glance back to Diamond. They held their cheek, a gnarly red gash dyed their face and neck with crimson. 

The Agate would be shattered for this. 

“Jasper wait--” Amethyst started, anticipating the quartz’s reaction, but Jasper swatted the smaller gem away and socked Holly Blue across the face as hard as she could. The agate was knocked several feet backwards and her form flickered, but Jasper wasted no time in running up to her and kicking her with as much force as she could generate, sending the gem upwards, high into the tree canopy. 

“ _ I’ll kill you for this! _ ” Jasper roared, feeling a series of painful cracks run up her arm and side. Drawing a set of claws in her right hand, she grit her teeth through the pain as she waited for Holly Blue to land so she could slice her gemstone into pieces, but Amethyst rammed into her in an attempt to stop her.

“JASPER! DON’T!” she pleaded. “Not in front of Diamond!” 

That snapped the gem out of her rage for a moment. Unfortunately, it also shot her guard and she missed the moment that Holly Blue managed to correct herself so she landed on her feet, roundhouse kicking Amethyst with full force and grabbing Jasper by the neck, slamming her down on the ground hard. 

“Don’t underestimate me,” the agate hissed. 

Jasper stared up at the ice blue eyes, bracing herself for whatever was to come, until Steven rammed into the agate with his own force, pushing her off of Jasper. 

Gasping out of relief and in pain, Jasper rolled onto her side and her knees, only vaguely aware that Steven and Amethyst had taken it upon themselves to poof and bubble the agate. The world was spinning, her vision was blurring, and stars...she was in so much pain she could barely hear the small footsteps that approached her. 

“Mom…?” Diamond asked hesitantly. Jasper jumped glancing back at the child, dark eyes wrought with concern, sword drawn and ready.

No. No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening. 

Except it was. And she couldn’t control it.  

“Stay back…!” Jasper managed to growl.

“But you’re hurt!” Diamond protested, reaching out a hand. “Mom, you need help--”

“I SAID STAY BACK!” Jasper roared, lifting her arm to swat Diamond away on instinct. She realized what she was doing too late, and she very distinctly felt the moment her clawed, spike-ridden arm made contact with the child’s body, throwing them backwards with a shriek. 

“Oh, so you’re protective of it?” Holly Blue heaved, having broken away from the other two without Jasper noticing. 

“No…” Jasper froze. And from there, everything happened in slow-motion for her, yet she still couldn’t do anything to stop it. 

Diamond’s eyes were widened in fright as they fell backwards, but the regained their footing, barely turning themselves and raising their sword in time to face Holly Blue, that started lunging at them in attack. 

Jasper reached her hand out, trying to get in between the two, but with the force she had pushed Diamond and the speed that Holly Blue had moved at, she was both too far away from them and too slow to stop what came next. 

Holly Blue cracked her whip, knocking Diamond’s other sword to the side. A second crack and the whip came back around and struck Diamond to the side, towards their sword. She watched, as their child’s expression reflexed first in fear, then shock, then crumpled in pain as they screamed. 

Jasper watched, as they fell at an angle against the blade of their sword, blood spurting out of the wound as if a major vessel had been struck. She watched, as Diamond screamed a shrill cry that would forever haunt her nightmares. She watched Diamond crumple on the ground before rolling over, holding their side tightly as blood pooled onto the ground.

She watched. Because that was all she could do.

And then she screamed.

And then her scream heightened to a furious roar as tears flew out of her eyes and she attacked the agate with more energy she could possibly have, striking her with more force than she could generate without injuring herself.

And then, in that horrific moment of blind rage and paralyzing fear, she forgot who she was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (No Jaspers or Diamonds were harmed in the making of this fic)
> 
> (...kay maybe one Jasper just got corrupted BUT IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY I SWEAR!! GO READ THE NEXT SIDE STORY IN EARTH TALES IT'LL BE FINE! I'M SORRY I AM SO CRUEL!)
> 
> (And...maybe one Diamond accidentally fell on their sword but THEY'LL BE OKAY! IT'S JUST A FLESH WOUND! THEY'LL BOUNCE BACK IT WAS JUST A SCRATCH!)
> 
> ...Yeah, Holly Blue got left on Earth for five years it's fine guys. She just...is more anal than Pearl is about reforming? Was confused because she hadn't been poofed before? I swear her reason for being stuck there is completely relevant and will make sense for actual plot reasons besides causing pain.


	24. ...They Can't Break You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diamond's mission with Jasper goes south. And everything goes so wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .......
> 
> I'M SORRY OKAY. 
> 
> I PROMISE AFTER THIS POINT THINGS WILL START TO GET PERMANENTLY BETTER.

This couldn’t be happening.

Everything was going so well for once...she...Mom couldn’t be…

In their panic, Diamond took off in a sprint towards the orange lady. They fought back tears and the sting of the cut now adorning their cheek and held their sword at the ready.

“Mom?” they pleaded as they approached Mom, desperate to help her. Mom jumped in response and glanced up at Diamond, her gaze ferocious and also...also…

Afraid. 

“ _ Stay back _ ,” she growled. 

Diamond froze, staring at the marring green horns that consumed her body. “But you’re hurt!” Diamond pleaded, “Mom, you need help!”

“I SAID STAY BACK!” Mom roared, pushing Diamond backwards and knocking them off balance. They couldn’t control what happened next, they could only watch.

The blue gem suddenly made note of Diamond and Mom’s protective instinct over them, and lunged towards the child. In the time that it took them to raise their sword, the gem’s whip cracked against Diamond’s flesh, knocking the sword out of their hand as they fell to the ground. 

They heard a crack, they felt as if something had torn open inside them as a shock jolted through their body when they hit the ground. Unable to even scream, Diamond could only roll over onto their back and reach instinctively towards their sides, hands slipping along something warm and wet that gushed through the torn fabric of their shirt and onto the sword underneath them.

_ Blood. _

Oh no…

Diamond forced an eye open, struggling to hear Steven’s muffled cries as he stooped over them, and they looked over at their Mom. They watched helplessly as she screamed, leaping into the air to tackle the blue gem, clawing at her maliciously. Her screams sounded more and more like an animal’s every time she opened her mouth. The blue gem pushed Mom off of her for a moment, Mom staggered backwards until she fell forward onto her hands with a cry of pain. Ducking her head down, Mom let out a roar and when she looked up next, Diamond could only see dark green horns pushing out of her skull where her eyes should’ve been as she staggered around, disoriented. 

“That’s just obscene,” the blue gem contorted. She glanced at Steven and Amethyst for a moment before she withdrew into the trees and ran for safety. 

A low growl snapped Diamond back into reality.

“Mom…” Diamond croaked, trying to wriggle out of Steven’s arms as they sat up. 

This couldn’t be happening.

Mom let out a growl and stepped backwards, off balance. She was standing on all-fours and lowered her stance as if she was going to attack them. She...she didn’t even look like herself. 

“Jasper, no,” Amethyst whimpered. 

Mom snapped her jaw and roared at Amethyst, taking another step back. 

“Mom!” Diamond cried out again, “What happened?”

They forced themselves onto their knees despite Steven’s hushed pleas. Unable to even stand themselves, Diamond crawled with one hand towards their mom, clutching their side with the other as tears streamed down their face.

This couldn’t be happening.

Mom let out another growl that started escalating with every step towards her that Diamond took. The growl escalated to a terrifying roar that froze Diamond in their tracks, suddenly the child didn’t know if they were shaking out of fear or blood loss. 

But then, the roaring ceased. Replaced with a confused whimper, Mom stepped backwards and backwards until she turned and ducked into the trees, running away.

“Jasper, wait!” Steven cried out. “Amethyst! You go after Holly Blue, I’ll try to track down Jasper--”

“Holly Blue? What about Diamond?” Amethyst shrieked. “We can’t leave them!”

“That’s my mom,” Diamond whimpered.

“Diamond, we know, it’s going to be okay,” Steven tried to reassure but Diamond could only push away from the hands that reached out towards them, staggering onto their feet as they took off running after Mom.

“THAT’S MY MOOOOM!” They screamed, running through the trees. 

 

_ “Sara, can you go find me medicine? Just this one last time?” _

 

Diamond sprinted through the forest, tripping over fallen branches that lined the path Mom was taking.

 

_ “Hey, sweetie, can you tell us where your mom is? We just need to talk to her.” _

 

They stumbled down a hill, dizzy when they stood back up. They weren’t sure if they were chasing their Mom or running from the men in blue jackets.

 

_ “I’m not getting a pulse.” _

 

Tears poured out of Diamond’s eyes blurring their vision. Where did Mom even go?!

 

_ “Time of Death: 11:11. Does her daughter have any immediate relatives we can contact?” _

 

Diamond caught a blur of orange making a sharp right turn into denser forest, but Diamond slipped on a patch of mud and fell down, the world turning upside down on them, oxygen becoming harder and harder to take in. 

 

_ “Where are your supervisors?” _

_ “You mean my parents?” _

_ “Yeah, that.” _

_ “I don’t got any.” _

 

Struggling to sit up on all fours, Diamond forced themselves to stay awake, forced themselves to stand. 

 

_ “Nobody I live with ever wants me to stay!” _

_ “That’s not true! I want you to stay!” _

 

They couldn’t stay standing, they were too weak. Crumbling to their knees Diamond still struggled to remain upright and try getting back up. Steven ran up towards them, sliding onto his knees to catch Diamond as they fell forward again. 

“Diamond! Are you okay!?” he cried out. “Amethyst, we need to call the hospital!”

“Can’t you use your healing spit?”

“They’ve lost too much blood!”

“No!” Diamond whimpered in protest. “That’s my mom...she...she’s my mom…”

Trying to wriggle out of Steven’s arms again, they only fell forward and crumpled to the ground. They tried to pull themselves up but had no strength left in their arms and collapsed back into Steven.

 

_ “Goodnight, My Diamond _ .”

 

“That’s my Mom!” they screamed, seeing spots dance across their vision.

 

“ _ Could you be my M-mom?” _

_ “Yeah, Kiddo.” _

 

“She promised…!”

“Diamond, please, you’re hurt, we need to get help,” Steven pleaded. Diamond could only protest as they screamed again. 

Glancing upward, the last thing Diamond saw before they lost consciousness was the Pink Lady sitting in front of her, weeping as she said:

_ “You’re a diamond dear, they can’t break you.” _

 

* * *

They can’t break you…

And yet Diamond woke up laying on a cot with bright lights blaring down on them, feeling as if they had been shattered in a million pieces.

And for a moment, they thought they saw the Pink Lady standing with them.

“Why,” Diamond growled, forcing themselves to sit up as they spat, “ _ Why would you let this happen!?” _

When their vision finally came into focus, however, the Pink Lady was nowhere to be found. However, Diamond did find several IV’s hooked into their arm. 

Scanning the rest of the room, it looked as if Diamond was in the ER, connected to fluids on one side and a heart rate monitor on the other. The only other time they had been in the emergency room as a patient was when they stepped on a sea shell way before Mom was even their mom but even so they had Mom on one side holding their hand and Kathy sitting on the cot with them on the other side.

And now they were alone. 

Outside, Diamond could hear Dr. Maheshwaran’s voice sounding frantic.

“...I was only just now able to get a hold of her,” she said. “She said she just got off a plane. She’s in town.”

“I can go pick her up, Mom!” Connie offered.

“What about Onyx?!”

“I’ll look after him, Connie, go,” Pearl chimed in. Diamond listened for any more cues, wondering how long they had been out, where Steven and Amethyst were, if they had found Mom, if Dr. Maheshwaran knew...if...if Mom would come back.

...If the government would still let Mom be their mom.

Diamond ducked their head down and held in a sob when they heard the doorknob click and turn.

“Diamond?” Dr. Maheshwaran called out. “Sweetie are you awake?”

Diamond nodded their head but couldn’t say much without sucking in a breath to hold in another sob. 

“You got quite a cut there, Diamond,” Dr. Maheshwaran offered, sitting on the cot next to them. “That’s more stitches than the seashell you had in your foot.”

Nodding their head, Diamond wiped their eyes. Despite their blurred teary vision, Diamond could still make out the frown lines that etched the doctor’s face. “Diamond, it’s going to be okay. Steven will find your mom.”

“Are they going to take her away from me?” Diamond sobbed. “Please don’t let them! She didn’t mean to corrupt, it’s not her fault she’ll get better she’s not like my birth ma!”

“What?” Dr. Maheshwaran jumped in surprise, “Oh, Diamond, your Mom isn’t going anywhere and neither will you or Onyx. It’s going to be okay.”

Relief swam across Diamond’s body as they wilted in the doctor’s arms, sobbing harder. By the time they had calmed down enough for Dr. Maheshwaran to get up and change out the IV bag before checking on the other patients on the floor. The gems that were present cycled in and out of the room to check on Diamond, not certain whether they needed comfort or space.

Frankly, Diamond wasn’t certain either. 

It was about an hour later when Steven and Amethyst came back looking very grim. By this point just about everyone had filtered into Diamond’s room and Onyx had been wailing for a solid ten minutes and was inconsolable. Pearl had even transferred him to Garnet’s lap who had tried everything from bouncing him gently to making dumb faces with her three eyes to unfusing as Sapphire held him while Ruby tried (and failed) to reason with him. 

“Any luck?” Pearl asked. 

“No,” Amethyst sulked.

“We can’t find her or Holly Blue anywhere,” Steven shrugged. “I’m really worried.”

Diamond glanced down, and gripped their jeans with their fists. They just….they were at such a loss as to what to do. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that their Mom-- _ their _ Mom!--would corrupt like this, no matter how bad things seemd.

And now…

Would she even come back? 

“Hey,” Steven gently placed a hand on Diamond’s shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. She’s overcome her corruption once before, she can do it again.”

“You think so?” Diamond asked, sniffling.

Steven smiled, “I know so. She has you and Onyx to come back to!”

Diamond managed a smile as they nodded their head, vaguely aware of the sounds of heels clicking outside the room as doctors and nurses and visitors brushed through the hallway. 

One set of heel clicking was particularly fast and before Diamond could register what was happening, a blonde woman rushed into the room, worry etched into her bright blue eyes as she cried out, “Where’s Diamond!?” 

Diamond jumped as they took a minute to process. She looked so familiar but...it had been years and also reality was slightly different from a video chat.

“K-Kathy?” they asked.

“Oh, sweetie, are you okay?” she gasped, rushing forward as she pulled Diamond into a hug, holding them tightly. “Oh goodness, what  _ happened _ ?” 

“Kathy,” Diamond whimpered, tears pooling in their eyes all over again. It had been so long since she had held them in her arms. Her hugs weren’t as enveloping and safeguarding as Mom’s were, but suddenly Diamond was brought back several years in time when they could be held by Mom  _ and _ Kathy, wrapped in a protective nest that they could’ve easily stayed in forever, feeling more love in those brief moments than they had in the entire first several years of their life before coming to Beach City.

And the reminder only made Diamond miss Mom all the more.

“I’m here,” Kathy whispered before Diamond realized they had begun sobbing again. “I’m here. I’m not your mom but I’m here.”

“She’s-she’s gone!” They whaled. “My Mommy is gone!”

Kathy only hugged Diamond tighter and they heard a small hiccup as if she too were fighting back tears. 

This couldn’t be happening.

“Diamond,” Kathy finally said, her voice threatening to betray her. “We’re going to find your Mom.”

“How!?” Diamond yelled, pushing Kathy away and swatting her arms when she tried to console them further. “How do you know!?” 

Kathy stared at Diamond, her expression unreadable for a moment. As long as Diamond knew Kathy, she always maintained a stern expression, always strong. She broke even less than Mom did, and Diamond could never read her. Sure she may have confided in Mom, but Diamond never saw any of that with their own eyes.

But in that moment, as tears fell down her cheeks and the unreadable expression crumbled into distress, she broke in front of Diamond for the first time. 

“Because,” Kathy choked out the sob, “We have to. We just have to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I swear it'll get actually better this time. Like for realsies.


	25. Diamond and Kathy Go on an Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper is nowhere to be found after her corruption, so Diamond takes the matter into their own hands. 
> 
> Kathy, however, is not going to let them go off unsupervised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to all the stars in the universe that this chapter will have an ending that does not rip your heart into pieces. Life is going to get better!

When Kathy dreamed of coming back, she never imagined her return would be filled with such loneliness.

Her sleep was restless, and if she didn’t wake herself with her own tears and anxiety, then she was gladly welcoming the distraction of Onyx’s cries. Although, that welcomed distraction would only last until she reached the baby’s room and watched as his face contorted to confusion and even more distress when he realized that the woman coming to him was not Jasper.

“I know, honey, this sucks, doesn’t it?” Kathy whimpered, fighting to keep her composure as Onyx droned on, his tears soaking the flannel she had draped herself in for her own comfort. Whether he had stopped crying and drifted to sleep or simply cried himself to sleep, Kathy did not know. She held him tight for a moment and took a deep breath to calm herself.

He was perfect. This little boy and the twelve year old in the room next door were everything Kathy had dreamed of in a family. Of a home.

But this was not how she wanted to come home.

Putting Onyx back into his crib, the woman returned to her—er, rather,  _ Jasper’s _ bedroom and hesitantly crawled back under the covers.

The sheets smelled just like Jasper.

The flannel draped over Kathy’s shoulders smelled like Jasper.

The pillows, the mattress, the blankets, the entire room was saturated in her scent. It was so subtle, like honey mixed in with the warm earth after a spring rain.  It grounded Kathy, and she could remember so many times after David left her when all it took for her to come back from the depths of her own personal Hell to the reality of something better waiting for her on the horizon was that special honey-and-earth smell enveloping her with the gem’s hug.

And sometimes that was the only thing that could calm her.

But now…it just brought her so much grief.

What had even happened? What did corruption even mean? Was she even still alive? Was she suffering alone and injured somewhere that not even the other gems could find her? Would she come back?

No.

She had to come back.

And in the meantime, Kathy would hold out and remain strong for the kids.

But in the nights, she would let herself cry, and try her best to imagine how great it would be when the scent of Jasper that surrounded her at night came from the simple fact that she could sleep in the quartz’s arms.

 

* * *

 

 

A week had passed.

And Kathy had caught Diamond trying to run away again.

It started after the kids had gone to bed. Kathy was sitting in the kitchen on her laptop staring at a word document for her term paper taking up one half of the computer screen and an email to one of her professors on the other half.

She was going to have to drop this class…

Kathy groaned, her face hitting the counter. If she dropped one class then she’d be at risk for being stuck in Jersey for an extra semester. But she had already missed a week of class. And if she missed anymore she could fail the class altogether.

And honestly…at this point she might be better off withdrawing for the rest of the semester…

Kathy let out a louder groan of frustration.

Great.

It was a good thing Kathy didn’t let herself wallow in self pity for too long because suddenly, when she lifted her head, there was a Diamond standing frozen in mid-stride, fully dressed in hiking boots, jeans, and a jacket complete with their beanie. Their backpack looked like it was about to burst it was so full and their swords were sheathed and strapped to it.

“Diamond,” Kathy spat. “What are you doing?”

“Uh,” the child’s eyes widened as they glanced away. “Nothing.”

“Nothing, huh?” Kathy rose to her feet. “Tell, me, why is it that you always feel the need to runaway when I’m watching you?”

“I—“ Diamond stuttered, it looked as if they were wilting under her gaze. “Kathy, it’s just—Mom could be anywhere by now! I need to do something!”

“Diamond,” Kathy pressed her hands to her temples, trying to remain patient. “You fell on your sword less than a week ago and you have school tomorrow!”

“Yeah, and Steven used his healing spit on me when I got out of the hospital. I feel fine!”

“Your Mom would want you to—“

“Well does it matter what Mom would want?” Diamond snapped back. “She’s not  _ here! _ The crystal gems have been looking everywhere and  _ nothing! _ I can’t keep sitting around!”

“Diamond, I know how hard this is, but…” Kathy tried. She wanted to say the things she knew Jasper would want her to, what Jasper would say.

But…

“Kathy,” Diamond pleaded. “Mom needs me.”

But.

Kathy closed her eyes and sucked in a breath.

Screw it.

“Okay,” Kathy took a deep breath. “Diamond, it is the middle of the night and I don’t want you going out by yourself.”

“But—“

“If you stay put for now, go to school tomorrow, and finish your homework” Kathy scratched her head, fighting back a grimace. “I’ll call you in sick for Friday and line up a babysitter and…we can go look for Jasper together.”

Kathy honestly did not know what Diamond’s reaction would be, but she really did not expect the chortle that came from her foster child.

“You?’ Diamond asked incredulously. “Kathy, do you have any idea what a gem mission is like? It’s super dangerous stuff!”

“I live in Jersey, Diamond, the smell of it alone is dangerous,” Kathy placed her hands on her hips, feeling a little offended by how little faith the kid had in her ability to hold her own. “Also, I’ve taken up kickboxing, I know how to throw a punch.”

“You’re going to need a weapon,” Diamond crossed their arms. “And a way to actually defend yourself if we get attacked or something.”

“I’ll go get a baseball bat tomorrow or something,” Kathy shrugged. “I played softball in high school and blunt objects can be really effective.”

Diamond looked Kathy up and down as if they didn’t believe her capability. Good grief it was like she was arguing with a mini Jasper.

“If you want to go look for your mom, then I’m coming with you,” Kathy ordered. “Besides, Onyx knows Connie better than me; a weekend or less with a familiar face will be good for him.”

“Ugh, fiiine,” Diamond groaned, rolling their head back. Nevertheless, they complied and Connie was more than elated to watch Onyx. Steven thought the idea was brilliant. The small green gem blatantly burst out laughing when the two showed up to the temple with hiking bags packed for an entire weekend in the wilderness.

“You can’t be serious,” Pearl intoned. “You’re  _ humans _ ! You can’t possibly go out there by yourselves!”

“Oh, it’s okay, I have a first aid kit, food, plenty of water, annnnd….plenty of supplies to make camp in the evenings,” Kathy elaborated.

“And Kathy showed me how to make a paracord bracelet in case there are bears!” Diamond cheered, holding their wrist up to show the bracelet they made the night before. For some reason that survival accessory seemed to be what finally convinced Diamond that she wouldn’t be a pain to bring along. “Kathy played softball  _ and _ she was a girl scout!”

“Riiiight,” Pearl cringed, looking really uncertain.

Meanwhile, the tiny green gem howled, “Two humans can’t possibly-they can’t possibly survive out there!”

“Yes we can, Peridot!” Diamond stamped their foot in protest before crossing their arms.

“It’ll be fine,” Garnet chimed. “Jasper might be more likely to approach Kathy and Diamond than any of us. And we are on a bit of a time crunch all things considering.”

“Yes but,” Pearl’s eyes flitted from Diamond and Kathy and back, “Jasper...she never wanted...she didn’t want you two to see her like this.”

“Well,” Diamond shrugged. “Corrupted or not that’s still my mom and she’s all alone somewhere. She needs us and I want her to come back.”

Kathy had to fight to keep from looking over at them, the tone of their voice seemed even more desperate than she felt. 

Pearl’s eyes were puddling with emotion as she nodded her head before looking to the tallest gem in the room for instruction.

“Steven do you have the map?” Garnet asked.

“I do!” Steven said, pulling it out of his backpack and spreading it out along the table. 

“Okay, so this is the warp pad nearest to where Jasper corrupted,” Garnet explained, pointing to a blue ‘X’ on the map, it looked to be somewhere in along the border between Arizona and Utah. Garnet then pointed to a series of red ‘X’s scattered amongst black dots in a pattern. “We have been searching within larger radii and expanding outward. Every day that passes is another day where she gets further from the origin point. Kathy, if you and Diamond are comfortable, you two can warp over here” -Garnet pointed to a black dot just outside the most recently marked circle of red ‘X’s- “and search the area around there. You’ll travel from that warp pad to the next closest one westward that’s over by the Beta Kindergarten. Diamond, you can use your warp whistle.”

“Uhhhhh can’t,” Diamond groaned, “Mom took mine when I got grounded and hid it really really well.”

Without missing a beat or changing expression, Garnet held her hand out, prompting Steven to place a whistle in her hand. “That’s because she gave it to me. Consider this your ungrounding, courtesy of Aunt Garnet.”

“Sweet,” Diamond grinned as they caught the whistle that was tossed their direction.

“The area is relatively safe, there shouldn’t be much gem activity. However, the Beta Kindergarten is where Jasper was made, so if she were to go anywhere it might be there. If you find her, keep your distance and notify Steven with your phone and he will notify us wherever we may be in our own search.”

“Got it,” Kathy nodded her head. “And if we get to the Kindergarten and see no sign of her?”

“Just warp back here and we’ll go from there.”

When they were finished running everyone through their assigned warp locations, Kathy and Diamond were the first to step onto the warp pad. 

“You know how to do this?” Amethyst asked.

“Um,” Kathy squeaked, feeling a bundle of nerves forming in the pit of her stomach as she stared down at the circular pad. 

Oh boy this was intimidating.

“It’s easy!” Diamond chirped with a grin as they readied the whistle. “Just try to keep yourself upright and land on your feet when we get there.”

“Yeah, that!” Amethyst grinned, giving the two humans a thumbs up. “You got this, Kathy!” 

“Thanks,” Kathy grinned weakly. 

“This is going to be alright, right?” Pearl looked nervously at Garnet who shrugged.

“This is going to be a disaster,” the green gem groaned. What was her name again?

“Alright, listen...um…” Kathy tried to sound intimidating but failed miserably, despite her scowl.

“Peridot,” Diamond whispered.

“Peridot!” Kathy jumped. “We can handle ourselves just fine! You’ll see!”

Peridot looked Kathy up and down, and suddenly she felt like she was being sized up by a shrimp.

A strangely intimidating shrimp. 

How was she intimidated by  _ her _ but had no problem grabbing  _ Jasper _ by her metaphorical ear and dragging her into babysitting for Diamond when they first met?

Kathy inhaled to add something else, but was interrupted by Diamond announcing they were warping and blowing their whistle as loudly as possible. There were few words in the human language that could describe exactly what Kathy experienced when she was surrounded by streams of light and the bizarre weightlessness of forces pulling her in all directions. 

It kind of made her want to throw up.

And she wasn’t too fond of the fact that she completely missed the moment they arrive at the other warp pad and she was caught mid air only to belly flop onto the pad below her.

“Gagh!” Kathy grunted when she fell. It took a little too long for the air that had been forced out of her lungs to finally start returning as she rolled onto her side, groaning.

“You okay?” Diamond asked, adjusting the straps to their backpack.

“Yeap,” Kathy moaned, forcing herself to try to sit up but only managed to roll onto her back and hope for the sweet release of death.

“Well, come on, let’s go,” Diamond hopped off the warp pad and took a few steps forward before they paused and waited for Kathy to get up and get her shit together so they could look at the compass. Finally catching a full breath, Kathy sat up on her knees and sighed.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

 

* * *

Diamond heaved a sigh.

Kathy...was kind of lame. 

Sure, she admitted and apologized for being so out of practice since hitting adulthood (“It wasn’t my fault that my ex-husband hated the outdoors!”) the amount that she was struggling to get through the hike was getting ridiculous. Diamond felt like they were spending more time worrying about staying on the right track towards the Beta Kindergarten and making sure Kathy wasn’t going to wind up in some absurd situation like falling into a pit of quicksand that they were now also worried about missing Mom if she showed up anywhere.

How they’d miss Mom, Diamond did not know...she was even bigger than Blue in her corrupted form. But still...Diamond wouldn’t put it past them at this point.

“Hey, Diamond,” Kathy huffed, tripping over tree roots to catch up to them. “It’s well past noon, why don’t we stop for lunch?”

“I’m not really hungry,” Diamond shrugged. Well, that was half true. Honestly, they just wanted to cover as much ground as possible before sunset and could power through a little hunger. 

“Diamond,” Kathy sighed, looking absolutely exhausted and defeated. “I know I’m rusty and not moving at a pace that I should be and I’m sorry.”

“Kathy, it’s fine,” Diamond started, watching as she walked past them towards what seemed to be clear(ish) ground.

That was really close to the edge of a drop off. 

“Kathy wait--”

“No, Diamond, seriously, I’m trying the best that I can and I know it’s not what it should be,” Kathy droned on and on, stepping closer and closer to the edge as she took her backpack off. “But I’m only human. And so are you. We need to eat--”

Annd, just like that Kathy’s foot slipped off the edge and she toppled backwards with a yelp.

“KATHY!” Diamond screamed, running to the edge. It was a very small drop off that just turned into a bit of a hill and was easy enough to climb down. But Kathy sure did tuck and roll. Without thinking twice and checking their surroundings, Diamond grabbed Kathy’s bag and slid as carefully down the hill as possible. It wasn’t until they were halfway down when they looked up, however, and when they did, they immediately wished they had done that before they followed their foster mom.

_ Mom _ .

Kathy landed at the bottom of the slope with a grunt and slid downward on her shoulder blades with enough inertia to force her pelvis and legs over herself so she kind of landed upside down and tangled around her own limbs, seemingly unaware of the gigantic corrupted orange gem lumbering up to her.

“Ow,” Kathy grunted before she opened her eyes and visibly flinched. “Ah!”

“Mom!” Diamond cried in relief as they skidded to a halt at the bottom of the hill. She let out a hesitant growl and stooped her head down as if to inspect Kathy, though she was still a couple of feet apart from the two. 

“What!?’ Kathy shrieked, staring at Mom with wide eyes. She kicked her legs uselessly upwards and flailed for a bit before she finally slid along the flatter ground enough to right herself and sit up haphazardly, twigs and leaves sticking out of her ponytail that was now falling apart. “J-Jasper?”

Mom let out a snap in response and took a step backwards at Kathy’s movements. Kathy stared at Mom with a pale complexion and wide eyes. It was as if they didn’t recognize each other. 

Diamond’s heart sank.

This was  _ not _ the romantic reunion they had dreamed up for those two.

“Kathy, please,” Diamond begged. “Mom’s still in there, just...give her a chance.”

“Jasper…” Kathy gaped. “Oh my god what happened!?”

Mom growled back at Kathy before she whipped her head around in the direction facing Diamond. Whether or not she could actually see or even sense her surroundings, they did not know, but Mom took several steps towards them, her growls escalating into a roar as she bared her teeth at the child. 

Diamond froze.

Did Mom...not recognize them?”

“Mom…?” they looked at the corrupted gem, trying to keep from shaking. What could they even do? They were helpless! They couldn’t even save their birth mother, how could they save their  _ Mom _ !? This was insane.

“Hey!” Kathy snapped, and suddenly Diamond saw Mom’s head bobble a bit as a pebble hit her on a horn pretty hard. “Don’t be yelling at your kid like that, they’re ungrounded!”

At  _ that _ , Mom whipped her head around and roared at Kathy, her pitch shifting upwards into almost a shriek. Kathy readied herself with her baseball bat (they still couldn’t believe she brought that) and lowered her stance. 

“Jasper, calm down, it’s me!” she ordered, wearing a firm gaze that Diamond hadn’t seen since the two of them first met after they ran away from Kathy’s. 

“ _ GRAAWWWWWWGH!” _

“Yeah, yeah, Bork Bork to you too, Buddy,” Kathy snapped back. “Listen, I know you’re in there and I know your recognize me...or at least my voice. I really don’t know if you can see like that. I--look, Jasper I am so sorry this happened to you, just...please, come home and we can sort this out.”

Mom’s stance relaxed ever so slightly and Kathy lowered her bat. Diamond watched in amazement as she put on a sad smile and took a step closer to the gem, reaching her hand out. 

“I’m sorry I let this happen,” she said gently. “I should’ve come home sooner.”

Mom growled again, stepping backwards at an angle and intentionally out of Diamond’s way.

“Jasper, wait!”

Mom looked from Kathy to Diamond and back (or at least turned her head), let out a low grunt, and then turned to run away again.

“Mom!” Diamond called out, but she ignored them. Before they could even begin to feel completely helpless, Kathy stamped her foot on the ground and screamed.

“WE WEREN’T DONE TALKING YET, YOU OAF!!!”

And...she took off running. 

Amazed, Diamond took off trying to follow her, but between Mom’s speed on all-fours and Kathy’s thirty-something year old stamina, it wasn’t long before the two had lost track of Mom and Kathy’s pace slowed to a walk as she tried to catch her breath.

“Dammit, Jasper!” Kathy called out, following the path of downed tree limbs that Mom had cleared in her path. “Would you just! Listen to me!?”

Diamond held in their own opinion as they silently handed Kathy her backpack. She slung it over her shoulders and kept stomping forward, moving at a speed Diamond hadn’t thought possible of the woman. 

“No! You won’t! You never do! I’ve been stuck living in  _ Jersey _ of all hell holes!” she spat, using her baseball bat to swat some foliage out of her way. “I asked a hundred--no, a  _ thousand times _ if you wanted me to come home and help you with Onyx and what did you say!? Nooooo, you had  _ everything under control! _ Didn’t you! But did you?! NO!”

Kathy tripped over a root and cursed, though her movements were getting less clumsy as the forest became way less dense really quickly. They must’ve been coming up on a clearing.

“Because you never listen! I could’ve come home! I could have transferred schools! Taken online classes! Kept you from going on your self-loathing escapades that led to this bullshit! I could’ve--I could’ve--!” Kathy passed through the last set of trees before the clearing opened up into yellow grasses and an open sky. Mom nowhere to be found. “ _ FUCK! _ ”

Kathy walked forward through the grass until she made a circle and stamped her foot on the ground, screaming out to the heavens, “I COULD’VE BEEN YOUR TROPHY WIIIIIIIIFE!!!”

Diamond visibly recoiled at the sheer volume that their foster mom’s proclamation reached. 

And then their heart just about leaped out of their chest.

“I knew it,” Diamond blurted with a grin. Kathy spun around to face Diamond, looking a little crazed and really confused.

“What?!”

“Nothing!” 

Okay, Kathy may have been a little lame. But she was still badass and at least confirmed that all of Diamond’s gay hopes and dreams would come true if Mom just came home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell us how you really feel, Kathy lolololololol
> 
> (I TOLD YOU GUYS! I KEEP MY PROMISES!! <3)


	26. Diamond Dogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kathy and Diamond continue their search for Jasper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOY! I'm back! 
> 
> I don't have much to add other than I've been trying to write this over the last couple of days and I am in Texas visiting family...and well...Texas is Texas. XD So I apologize for any typos. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Diamond wasn’t sure if Kathy would ever fully recover from her...tantrum, for lack of a better term. She didn’t stop grumbling until the next morning when they were packing up camp. 

But honestly, based on the information that had been offered up as a result, Diamond also wasn’t sure if they wanted her to stop. It was pretty entertaining. 

“Kathy?” They finally asked.

“Hm,” Kathy grunted. Stars, she was even beginning to sound like Mom.

“Does this mean you’re going to come home?” They asked, fighting the smile that tugged at the corners of their lips as Kathy’s cheeks flushed a bright red. 

“I,” she started, letting out a disgruntled noise. “I want to, obviously!”

“So you can date Mom?” Diamond raised an eyebrow.

“No!” Kathy shrieked a little too loudly. Her cheeks grew so bright that her blush spread to her ears and the front of her face. Diamond practically leaped out of their own skin with excitement as they reached for their phone.

“Are you guys going to get married?!” 

“No! I-I don’t know, Diamond!” Kathy covered her face. “I have to get to the dating part first!”

“So you are going to date her!”

“I don’t even know if she likes me!” Kathy shrieked, color draining from her face. “She hasn’t wanted me to come home at all!”

“Well, yeah,” Diamond shrugged, “You’re in grad school and Mom wants you to finish. Do you know how many times she complains how she wishes a better business college was in Beach City so you could transfer?”

Kathy looked very perplexed by the statement as her face contorted into itself a little. “What?”

“Oh yeah,” Diamond nodded, recalling the many times Mom hung up from a phone call with the woman and groaned. “She misses you a lot.”

“Oh,” Kathy said with a small voice as she glanced downwards. 

Diamond watched her expression for a moment before they grinned and added, “You know, you’re her screensaver.”

“W-what!?” 

“Onyx and I are on her home screen,” Diamond grinned, noting the redness return to Kathy’s ears. “But yeah, you’re her screensaver.”

At that, Kathy fought to keep a straight face the rest of the afternoon. Diamond couldn’t restrain the added skip in their step as they crossed into the deep canyon that led to the Beta Kindergarten.

However, as the afternoon sun beat down on the duo in the middle of the canyon, and as smooth sandstone slowly made way to toppled over metal structures and distinctly person-shaped holes littering the rock walls, Diamond’s skip and Kathy’s smile were gradually replaced with dusty, somber steps.

Running into Mom the day before must’ve just been a product of blind luck and a lot of false hope. 

“We aren’t going to find Mom again, are we,” Diamond finally sighed once the warp pad came into sight. 

“Well,” Kathy heaved a sigh, the twinkle in her eyes beginning to fade, “We got here quicker than Garnet had anticipated...I suppose we could set up a small camp, have dinner, and wait until nightfall to head back?”

“Okay,” Diamond glanced at their dusty shoes. They had a solid coat of orange covering the toes. 

The same orange as Mom…

Well, that made sense considering that this was where Mom came from to begin with. But also…

Diamond perked up and looked around. They  _ were _ in the middle of the kindergarten. 

The kindergarten that Mom was from.

“Hey Kathy!” Diamond chirped, taking their foster mom’s hand, “let’s look for Mom’s exit hole!”

Kathy’s face flushed bright pink, “I-is that appropriate?”

“Huh?” Diamond raised a brow in confusion before they pointed at the  holes surrounding them on the canyon walls, “all these holes around us are where gems come from. I bet we could try to find Mom’s!”

Kathy glanced around, humming slightly before she took a hesitant step forward. “Are you sure, Diamond? These all look...really small.”

“Which means that Mom’s might be easier to find!” Diamond insisted, tugging a little more on Kathy’s hand. “It never hurts to try!”

“Alright alright,” Kathy finally relented, following Diamond around the dusty canyon. “Do you really think Jasper will be there?”

“I don’t really know,” Diamond shrugged. “I just kind of wanted to see where Mom came from. Peridot said that she was the only quartz in this entire kindergarten to come out perfect! And not just perfect, but better than even the amethysts in the prime kindergarten!”

Kathy hummed in response again as Diamond rattled on. All too frequently, Diamond wondered about how famous Mom probably was on Homeworld. She was taller and stronger than any of the other quartzes from Earth, she might even be taller than Steven’s mom had been! But they wouldn’t know. Peridot had said once that important quartzes like Mom were gladiators on Homeworld when they weren’t at war. But...Mom never really talked about any of that herself; whenever Diamond had asked her about life on Homeworld she only ever really talked about Pink Diamond or exchanged war stories with Pearl. Some days, Diamond would pause and wonder how Mom really felt about her life after the war before coming back to Earth, but as they spoke to Kathy about everything they had pieced together regarding Mom’s history, the worry knit through Kathy’s brow suddenly reflected all of the conflicted emotions bubbling under Diamond’s own skin that only occasionally resurfaced.

“Wow,” she said softly. “Jasper was...your mom was  _ perfect _ by Homeworld standards.”

“Yeah,” Diamond shrugged, their excitement dwindling. “That’s what Peridot and Aunt Amy both said.”

Kathy frowned and looked around the canyon. “I can’t imagine the burden that was on her...especially coming from a place like  _ this _ .”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Kathy took a step towards one of the exit holes closer to the ground. “Just  _ look _ at this, Diamond. I don’t even think  _ you _ could fit in here. And all the holes like this. These must’ve been really small gems, and based on how you say Homeworld viewed Jasper...this whole project must’ve been a complete failure. Yet despite that,  _ she _ came out of it on top of her entire civilization’s standards, not just the kindergarten’s.”

Diamond felt a sick feeling form in the pit of their stomach. Sure, sometimes they wondered that but… “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Well, it depends on how you look at it,” Kathy said, running her hand along the sandstone wall. “Sure it may have been good for her status at first but...if she’s as successful as a fighter then she’s expected to be that way all the time because she’s  _ perfect _ . If she fails or makes even one mistake, she’s caught between ‘you’re perfect, what happened?’ and ‘well she’s only from Beta’ and thrown into the castaway pile. It’s kind of a lose-lose situation, don’t you think?”

Diamond glanced at the ground, the sick feeling growing stronger. Ghostly faces passed through their memory and puzzle pieces started to slowly come together. “It’s like...it’s like when my last foster parents before you would blame Ma for any time I acted out...but then would get mad at me if I complained about that to my teachers or the social worker…”

Kathy gave Diamond a worried glance before they shrugged. “It wasn’t that bad, and it’s not the same as Mom but still.”

Kathy kept her eyes on Diamond for a long time as they anxiously wandered about the canyon. Man...they hated it when Kathy gave them those worried gazes. 

But also…

“Do you think Mom ever felt lonely?”

“I don’t know,” Kathy mused, “Maybe?”

Diamond hated to admit how much things were starting to make sense...all those times Mom refused help when she was clearly in pain or over her head. They had always thought she was just putting on a brave face because she was a  _ mom _ . 

They never thought about how much she was trying to be the perfect mom. 

Rounding a corner, Diamond stopped in their tracks when a huge, crisply shaped hole stood out amongst the others. Its presence was just downright intimidating, if not eerie altogether.

“Wooow,” they gaped, approaching the exit hole. The shape distinctly looked like Mom’s silhouette. Looking at the vacancy, Diamond hadn’t realized just how  _ huge _ she was to begin with. Not only that, but the pose…

“Of course she came out flexing,” Kathy placed her hands on her hips adorning a slightly bemused expression. “How else would she have?”

Diamond let out a giggle and reached their hand up to try and reach the bottom of the hole. They were just barely too short to reach and tried jumping. When that too failed, Kathy approached the wall and squatted down, holding her hands out with her fingers laced together so that Diamond could step into them with one foot and clamber into the exit hole. They slipped a little bit as they hoisted themselves into the entrance, sliding along a glass surface before they could sit up. 

To be honest, Diamond didn’t really have a reason as to why they wanted to climb up there, and they didn’t realize it until Kathy hesitantly asked, “...is there anything up there? What are you looking for?”

The short answer to Kathy’s question was Mom. They were looking for Mom. But why they climbed into this space specifically? Well...it wasn’t until they stepped closer to the back when a very subtle, albeit distinctive scent filtered into their nose. 

Honey and grass…

Mom…

A blubber escaped the child’s throat as they backed into the side of the exit hole and slid to the bottom, tears escaping their eyes. 

“Diamond?”

“Kathy,” Diamond hiccupped, “I-”

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“I miss my mom!”

They couldn’t stop the sobs that burst out like a torrent. They coughed, trying to get a grip but...stars, they just wanted Mom to come back. They wanted her to come home! 

And here they were, enveloped in her scent and they just...if they hugged themselves tightly enough they could picture her hugging them and could hear her voice as they imagined her saying, “Hey, Kiddo. Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be okay. I can’t leave my sweet little diamond all alone for too long! Hehehe!”

They missed her laugh, her lopsided grin, every time she kissed them on their forehead as if they had a gemstone there, the way she would hold Onyx, the rare occasion they caught her singing to herself or could get her to sing them and Onyx to sleep at night. 

They missed  _ her _ . 

“Diamond,” Kathy’s voice was soft and wavered as if she too were ready to break, “We’ll find her.”

How certain Kathy was of that statement herself, Diamond did not know, but it was something they would cling to for hope as long as they needed. At the very least, it was enough to lift Diamond out of their grief and slide out of the exit hole and onto the ground, with Kathy’s arms reaching out to catch them if need be. Though it wasn’t her original intent, Diamond still took the gesture to wrap their arms around their foster mom and hug her. 

“I love you, Kathy,” they sniffled. Kathy jumped slightly in their embrace, but she pulled them into a tight hug nonetheless.

“I love you too, Diamond,” she said. “It’ll be okay.”

Sighing, Diamond glanced up at the low-hanging sun in the bright blue sky. They could wait a little longer until sunset before they warped back. There was still hope.

Glancing back down, however, the renewed sense of hope was replaced with downright shock as Diamond froze, a distinctively orange and...rather fluffy figure lumbering in the distance behind one of the canyon walls.

“Kathy,” Diamond whispered, trying to find their breath and restart their heart at the same time. “Don’t move.”

“What?” Kathy cringed as she did the exact thing she was told not to do. Turning around, Kathy almost immediately locked eyes onto Mom and froze. “Oh.”

Mom let out a soft grumble and took a step back, ready to bolt again.

“Heeeeeey, Jasper,” Kathy laughed nervously. Oh stars, not again. “You feeling okay?”

The grumble escalated to a growl. Something told Diamond that being hesitant towards her or acting fearful wasn’t going to do anything for them considering the last encounter. Out of sheer determination and probably some blind stupidity, Diamond marched forward past Kathy and across the canyon to where their corrupted Mom stood. Mom and Kathy both let out matching shrieks as Mom scrambled backwards, roaring ferociously in Diamond’s face. 

“Mom,” Diamond swallowed their fear and gave her a deadpan expression. “You aren’t going to hurt me.”

After an aggressive growl they pulled up their pant leg to show an old scar that resembled the bite marks of a dog: “You remember this scar? The one I told you came from a dog bite at one of my foster homes?”

Mom let out a hesitant growl before they snarked, “Yeah. I  _ lied _ . This came from Blue the first day I met her! Steven used his healing spit so I didn’t bleed too much and she felt bad afterwards and hasn’t hurt me since.”

Considering that Mom was now flailing and roaring loudly in response, Diamond had to admit that they weren’t using the most tactful approach. But if anything, the fact that Mom’s roars resembled her normal panicking from when they got a splinter two days after Kathy moved away told them that she was pretty conscious and aware of what was going on. 

“I’m coming clean!” they shouted over Mom’s growling. “I pinky promised no more lying! So I’m telling the truth! And I’m telling the truth when I say that you aren’t going to hurt us!” 

Mom’s grumbling sounded...rather sassy and altogether pissed to say the least, but she stopped backing away at least. Forcing a smile, Diamond walked up to her and said, “Come on, I don’t want to go home without you. I mean, it’s not even home without you in it.”

Mom was silent for several minutes and it took Diamond all they had to keep tears at bay. Suddenly though, Mom let out something mixed between a whimper and a purr as she ducked her head and pressed it against Diamond’s body. Giggling, Diamond couldn’t keep from crying as they hugged Mom as best they could. Corrupted or not, they had their mom back. That’s all that mattered, right?

“Oh!” Diamond jumped, stepping out of the hug and bouncing on their heels, “Can I ride on your shoulders like when I was little?”

Mom gave a confused grunt and sat back like a dog a little bit, but was stationary as Diamond scrambled up her back, pulling their warp whistle out of their jacket pocket. “Garnet gave me the warp whistle back for now, but if I’m still grounded you can have it when we get back to the temple, okay?”

“Diamond,” Kathy let out an exasperated sigh. “You shouldn’t be climbing around on your mom so much.”

Diamond was about to say something back, but Mom let out a hesitant noise and rose on all fours, taking a couple of steps towards Kathy. The woman, in turn, was still, her expression softening before she took a few steps towards Mom. Reaching a hand out Kathy placed it on Mom’s cheek. The gem flinched slightly and growled, but Diamond watched as Kathy’s deep blue eyes glittered with tears as she took another step.

“Hey,” she said. “I missed you, you know that?”

The two shared a long, tender moment of silence before Diamond decided to ruin it: “If you ever wanted a trophy wife, she’d be down.”

Kathy visibly flinched, her face turning as red as Mom’s stripes as she shrieked, “DIAMOND!” 

Mom jumped, but her form shifted and relaxed at Diamond’s cackle in response. Unfortunately, their laughter didn’t last long, however, when they felt the earth quake as if in response to Kathy’s scream.

“What was that?” Diamond asked, gripping onto Mom’s fur tightly. Mom let out a low growl and immediately headbutted Kathy, pushing her in the direction of the warp pad. 

“J-Jasper, what is it?” Kathy asked. 

“Earthquake?” Diamond guessed. Another tremor and the ground behind them split. Mom took off in a sprint and nudged Kathy forward until she was also running. There was a crack underneath Mom, and with a snapping noise, Mom was pushed forward and up, throwing Diamond off of her back with a shriek. 

“DIAMOND!” Kathy howled as Mom let out a scream. Landing with a thud, Diamond tumbled along the rocks. They were dazed for a brief moment, only brought back to reality when they heard Kathy gasp loudly and stumble backwards as she drew her bat from the corner of their eye. Sitting up, Diamond froze. A huge, monstrous looking thing with a cluster of gems in its chest and several limbs sprouting up from what should have been its neck stood where Mom had been thrown off balance, facing their foster mom. 

“Kathy!” Diamond yelped, drawing their sword to fight. Mom stood back up, shaking head a little before she looked back up, facing Diamond. 

And then she charged. 

Screaming, Diamond held their sword in front of them and closed their eyes. They felt a gush of air blow past them and a huge tremor before they opened their eyes and spun around to find Mom biting down on a similar, smaller monster that had emerged suddenly from behind them. She held it in her jaws and let out a roar as she bit down tighter and tighter until the monster poofed and a cluster of gem shards fell to the ground. 

Diamond blinked, staring at it. 

What were these things?

Another shriek from Kathy and Diamond spun back around in a panic only to freeze as they watched Kathy charge the monster and smack it repeatedly with her baseball bat until it poofed like the other one. 

Huh. So baseball bats were pretty handy.

Heaving, Kathy stooped forward to pick the gem up, “What was that thing?”

“Gems of some kind?” Diamond shrugged, racking their brain internally to try and remember a useless piece of gem facts Pearl might’ve given them that would explain what was happening. Sadly, nothing came, and they didn’t have much time to think before the gem in Kathy’s hand reformed and several more sprouted up from the ground. 

Mom went on high alert suddenly and charged towards the gem nearest Kathy, poofing it upon impact as she rammed herself into it. Diamond readied their swords and went after the monster quickly as it reformed behind them. They managed to poof that one again, but yelped when two more lunged at them from behind, trying to wrestle their swords from their hands. 

“Let go!” they grunted, poofing one. Mom leapt from out of nowhere and snatched the other in her jaw, roaring louder than ever. 

“They’re reforming so quickly!” Kathy noted, her voice panicked. “What do we do!?”

“We need to bubble them!” Diamond called back, sitting up and dusting themselves off.

“How!?”

“Only gems can do that!” Diamond called back. Granted...they hadn’t ever seen Mom make a bubble before. And now she was corrupted so she  _ really _ couldn’t make a bubble. 

“We need to warp out of here,” Kathy finally ordered. “Diamond, Jasper, we need to get to the warp pad!” 

Diamond didn’t hesitate following her instructions as they made a dash for the pad, but when they turned around and readied their whistle, they found Mom standing between them and the monsters. 

Ohhh nooooo she wasn’t trying to do what they thought she was, was she?

“Moooom!” they called out, “get on the warp pad!” 

Mom paused and turned her head towards them, gave a grunt, and charged towards the gems she was facing. 

“Oh come on!” Kathy groaned, smacking her bat in her free hand. “You aren’t martyring yourself, Jasper!”

As Kathy sprinted towards Mom and smacked a few gems out of her way, Diamond sighed in relief that the two of them were at least on the same page. When Mom realized that neither of them had left, however, she broke out into loud shrieks. She headbutt Diamond suddenly, knocking them towards the warp pad as she roared. 

“Mom, stop!” they snapped, sitting back up. Mom pounced again, pushing them down with her arm.

“ _ STAAAAAAY!” _

Diamond held their breath and looked away as Mom roared louder than ever. Her cries were...they almost sounded…

Poking an eye open, Diamond glanced up at Mom’s heaving form. She bared her teeth, ready to let out another growl, but Diamond could only fight back a grin.

A golden eye glared down at them. 

Mom let out another growl, but jumped up when Kathy let out a scream, punting a smaller gem with all her strength. The gem was surprisingly close to them because as it poofed the gemstone bounced off of Mom’s side, causing her to jerk her head in Kathy’s direction. 

“Get! You hands! Off my JASPER!” Kathy roared smacking another gem with her bat as hard as she could. 

“ _ Kathyyyy…” _ Mom rumbled, stepping off Diamond before she bounded towards a group of monsters. “ _ Staaaay BACK!” _

Kathy yelped, leaping out of Mom’s way as she punched them as hard as possible. They poofed, and she scooped a gem into her hand before she stumbled backwards off balance. 

And she stood up on two feet. 

She was clumsy and hunched over, in pain. But she glanced up at Diamond and Kathy, her eyes bleary and struggling to focus. Smatterings of green covered her face and spikes still protruded painfully from her head and left side as she grit her teeth and growled, “ _ You two need to get out of here!” _

“Well we’re not going without you,” Diamond said, standing back up. Their heart pulse ran through their ears and they could hardly focus from the adrenaline coursing in their veins. 

Mom let out another growl before she glared over at Kathy, who merely shrugged, “It’s like Diamond said earlier, home isn’t home without you. Sorry, but I’m siding with your kid on this.”

Mom grumbled as she glanced down at the gems in her hands, closing her fist around it before she relented and said clumsily,  _ “We need...we need to get these things to the temple.” _

She closed her eyes and stumbled backwards again, Mom opened her fist with a jerk as an orange bubble enclosed around the gem shards in her palm. Golden eyes flitted in Diamond’s direction, a flame burning behind her gaze.

Diamond smiled. They had Mom back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYYYYYY~~~~~
> 
> We aren't out of the woods just yet but we're getting there!


	27. Love Like a Diamond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why it was such a struggle for me to get through writing this chapter other than the fact I spent the last three days binging Markiplier and Hellsing Ultimate Abridged which did nothing to put me in the correct feels-writing mood. But alas, I did it! 
> 
> There'll still be a few more chapters yet but this fic is indeed at the beginning of wrapping up~ *sighs* Despite the fact that I still have waaaaaaaay more ahead of me for the series I have to admit that I'm a little sad to think of this first chapter reaching its end. 
> 
> Also, for maximum feels effect put the full version of Love Like You on a loop while you read this :3

Kathy and Diamond really couldn’t keep up with Jasper once she got going. What was even more impressive than the rate she was poofing the gem monsters was the rate she was creating bubbles. When she created them, she dropped the bubbles to the ground and the gems didn’t reform again. 

After a few moments of processing, Diamond took a couple hesitant steps towards the nearest bubble, picked it up looking around. They then tapped the top of it with their hand and the bubble disappeared.

Kathy leapt, “What happened to it!?” 

“I sent it away,” Diamond explained with knit eyebrows. “I think...Steven does this all the time.” 

“But to where?”

“The temple?’ Diamond sounded unsure. Kathy raised a brow and they merely shrugged, “Steven’s only ever said that we send the bubbles home.” 

Before she could make any sort of retort, Kathy watched as Jasper body slammed another one of the gem-like things and crashed to the ground just a few feet behind Diamond. So instead, she opted for a different reply: “Let’s just...help your mom send all these bubbles out.”

“Got it,” Diamond nodded. They tried to keep enough distance and stay (mostly) out of danger, and honestly it all happened in such a blur that Kathy didn’t notice the further retreating green markings change along Jasper’s body until she had bubbled the last gem. She stood over it, ragged and panting. Diamond and Kathy skidded to a stop and watched her hesitantly. Was she…? Was she okay? Was she going to...revert?

“Mom…?” Diamond took a step forward. 

Jasper staggered backwards before she struggled to look up with bleary eyes. Shaking, she held up the bubble, “L-looks like...I’m not so useless of a quartz after all…eh?”

Feeling her adrenaline melt away with relief, Kathy fought back the tears that stung in her eyes which halted when Jasper staggered backwards again. Jasper’s golden eyes rolled into the back of head as she crumpled to her knees and fell to the ground. 

“JASPER!” Kathy shrieked as Diamond let out a yelp while they both ran to the gem’s side and slid onto their knees. Except, it wasn’t like she was a human where they could check for vital signs. Diamond seemed to realize this too as they used most of their strength to push Jasper onto her back.

They shook the gem at the shoulder’s slightly, “Moooom!” 

Taking hold of her Jasper’s hand, Kathy shook uncontrollably. She didn’t know if Jasper was okay or if she was hurt, or what would happen to her. How would they get her to the warp pad? Would she wake up? What if she corrupted again as soon as she regained consciousness? 

Suddenly, a light flashed in the distance and Kathy jumped, watching as four distinctive figures warped to the kindergarten. Garnet leapt off the pad and sprinted towards them, skidding to a stop as she examined the situation.

“Where are the gem shards?”

“Mom bubbled them all!” Diamond announced, tear tracks staining their dusty little face. “But she...she just collapsed! Garnet, what happened?”

“She’s okay,” Garnet heaved, kneeling down. “She’s just exhausted her body. She needs time to rest.”

“So...she’s...better?” Diamond asked, their voice cracking. 

Garnet smiled, placing a firm hand on the child’s shoulder, “Much better, and it’s all thanks to you guys.”

Diamond nodded, but their fragile composure only lasted for a moment before their lip bubbled outward with a small sob. Kathy was numb to the sensation of her own tears falling as she watched Diamond duck their head down and cried, curling their hands into fists around the fabric of Jasper’s uniform, their forehead pressing against the now-pink star adorning her chest. They heaved, and they cried out through their sobs, their voice muffled from being pressed against their mother. 

Taking a breath, Kathy noticed that she too had little control over her own sobbing as she pulled Jasper’s limp hand to her cheek, hugging her forearm tightly. She had always expected Jasper’s hand to be rough and calloused,  maybe even more so than David’s was, but instead they were smooth, soft even. It seemed that despite how much those strong hands had been through, Jasper still kept them manicured. And for whatever reason, that only enamored Kathy even more, but made her sob even harder. 

She was okay. And she could finally come home.

 

* * *

 

When Jasper first started to regain consciousness, the first thing she became aware of was her pounding headache and the blaring light that tried filtering into her eyes. The gem tried to take in a breath but her whole body ached and she let out a groan.

A hand reached out and caressed her face, and while the pain didn’t go away, Jasper felt her body relax and she was able to find herself able to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry and it was hard to focus but she could still make out the soft blue ocean encased within two orbs. 

She felt at home…

“Kathy…” Jasper groaned. She blinked a few times, able to focus a little better and she felt a water droplet splatter on her cheek.

She was crying?

“Kathy?” Jasper said again, trying to sit up, only to feel an intense burning sensation run up her body. Kathy shushed her, brushing her hair gently.

“Don’t move too quickly,” Kathy said, her voice was soft. “You’re okay.”

Tears welled up in Jasper’s eyes as her memories started to return to her. “Wh-where’s Diamond? Are they okay? Where’s Onyx!?”

She only became aware that she had been resting with her head in Kathy’s lap when she managed to roll on her side and brace herself on her forearm. She looked around frantically to find that she was in the temple with the Crystal Gems on either side of her. Her head swiveled and she found Diamond sitting on the floor just a few feet across from her with Onyx on their lap. They stared at her with wide, wet brown eyes and started to sit up, only to halt when Onyx made a whining noise. 

“Oh! Sorry, Bro,” They noted, helping Onyx off their lap. “Show Mom what you can do!”

Jasper felt her brow furrow in confusion as Onyx fell forward, catching himself with his pudgy hands. The quartz’s first instinct was the lurch forward and catch him, but her body was not yet ready to obey her. Instead, she could only watch as Onyx sat up clumsily on his knees, with Diamond smiling widely behind him. 

H-He was okay.

“Onyx has been really active since you three have been gone this weekend,” Pearl said gently. “Connie brought him over this morning.”

“He hasn’t been able to take a full step yet though,” Kathy explained, running a hand through her hair. “I think he’s been waiting for his mom.”

Jasper managed to sit up fully as she watched Onyx stand up on his wobbly little feet, puffing his chest out as he stared at Jasper with his big brown eyes, reaching his hands forward. 

“Mommy!” he chirped, taking a step forward.

And then another. 

And another. 

Onyx teetered forwards a little too much and then swayed backwards slightly, his arms making large circles to regain his balance. Jasper felt her stomach drop, causing a surge of pain run through her arm and side. Onyx puffed his cheeks out in determination as he regained his balance and took several quicker steps towards Jasper.

He was...walking?

All by himself?

“Thatta boy, Onyx!” Diamond cheered. Jasper held her arms out to catch her little boy, tears welling as it sank in that he was taking his first steps. And those steps were for  _ her _ .

And she had corrupted. 

She couldn’t contain her tears as Onyx walked into her arms and she pulled him to her chest as he giggled and hugged his little arms around her neck.

“I’m so sorry,” she finally whimpered, holding him tighter. She then looked up at Diamond who had inched closer to her, tears streaming down their cheeks as they struggled to keep it together. Jasper felt herself break a little on the inside as she choked, “I am so so sorry.”

Diamond’s expression mirrored her own as they whimpered and reached forward for a hug. Jasper opened her free arm and pulled Diamond closer to her, sobbing all the more. She held her children tightly, finding that her body rocked slightly in response to the sounds of Diamond’s cries. After a moment, she felt Onyx lift his head and pat the side of Jasper’s head. 

“It otay, Mommy,” Onyx cooed and Jasper leaned her chin against the top of his head. She loved that little boy with everything she had and more. 

And Diamond...her sweet sweet little diamond. What would she do without them? If it hadn’t been for them or Kathy…

Jasper turned and glanced at Kathy who was sitting quietly at her side now. Those beautiful blue eyes leaked tears as she managed a smile. The parts of her that had felt overwhelmed with guilt over all the grief she had caused her family were suddenly overwhelmed with the sheer relief of knowing that Kathy had been there to steady her children, to lead Diamond to her, to bring her back to her senses. 

To bring her home. 

Kathy grounded her. She took Jasper where she was and reminded her that it was okay. She was okay. 

“H-How did you get here?” Jasper managed to ask. Kathy chuckled and rubbed the tears from her eyes. 

“Diamond called me one night and left a message that you weren’t...uh...doing very well and but when I called no one was answering their phones so I came here,” Kathy shrugged, her cheeks flushing.

Against her shoulder, Diamond whimpered, “I forgot I sent thaaaaat.” 

Kathy chuckled and added, “But when I got here I got a call that Diamond had gotten hurt and you were in trouble...and I was so scared I just...well...you’re okay now and that’s all that really matters to me right now.”

Too overwhelmed with emotion all Jasper could do was hold on to her children with everything she had, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off of Kathy. The woman who dropped everything and came, for little to no reason other than she cared just that much. 

The woman who loved her children just as much as she did. 

The woman who chased after her through a canyon with her child, with nothing but a baseball bat to defend herself.

The woman who could paint herself like the typical PTA Mom that grated on Jasper’s nerves, but devolve into a heated debate on gender theory anytime she was questioned because that was  _ her  _ foster child someone was misgendering and  _ she _ would defend them until the end of her days.

The woman who looked at Jasper the morning she helplessly tried to explain that Diamond wanted to be Diamond and they wanted Jasper, of all people, to be their mom for some reason, only to smile and say, “Well then I’ll see how much time the social worker will give us to make that happen.”

The woman who barged into the temple, called Jasper ‘The Orange One’ and dragged her almost against her will to play babysitter.

The woman who not only brought her a child, but probably saved her life. 

She had been too weak to make it back to the house that night, so they stayed at the temple and Diamond and Onyx both refused to leave her side. So by the time Diamond had settled down to sleep with their head in her lap, and Onyx in the crook of her arm, Jasper leaned back against the couch where Kathy now slept. She knew she needed to sleep but she couldn’t; instead she just wanted to sit back and just enjoy the presence of those around her. 

She glanced down at Onyx for a moment, noting how his little fist bunched up the fabric of the pink star of her uniform.

Pink…

Jasper felt her brow furrow. Before she could ponder the change further, however, she felt a slender arm wrap around her as Kathy sleepily moved to place her chin on the gem’s shoulder. 

“Pink’s a good color on you,” she said. 

“Yeah?” Jasper asked, leaning back. How long had it been that she felt at the mercy of an authority she didn’t choose to follow in the first place? 

Too long, to say the least. Yellow Diamond’s insignia on her chest never felt right. She had been completely caught off guard when she had reformed to find the diamond replaced with a star. She did, however, accept that since it wasn’t like there was much of a choice other than the Crystal Gems. Plus they had - at least when the dust settled - welcomed her where she was and spared her of an otherwise horrible fate. 

But now...whatever switch flipped in the back of Jasper’s mind that led to the color change, she did not know, but stars did she miss the color pink. Jasper leaned her head back towards Kathy and was met with knowing blue eyes. The last they met face to face, the woman had been through a heartbreak she didn’t deserve and had seemed so vulnerable. Jasper had felt an overwhelmingly protective instinct to comfort her and take all her pain away.

Perhaps, judging by how tenderly Kathy cupped Jasper’s cheek in her hand, it was Jasper’s turn to be vulnerable. 

She didn’t particularly like that. 

“You should be back home…” Jasper felt her face contort slightly in frustration. It’s not that she didn’t want Kathy around it was just…

She already had so much on her plate, didn’t she?

“I  _ am _ home,” Kathy corrected. “Besides, I already withdrew for the semester.”

“What?” Jasper sat forward slightly but was halted by the aching of her own body. “But that’ll push back your graduation, won’t it?”

“A little,” Kathy shrugged. “But you’re so much more important. All of you. Plus this means I can stay as long as you need me to before classes start next semester.” 

“But…” Jasper glanced away. Surely she couldn’t be  _ that _ important. 

“If you’d rather I not stay, I can--”

“No!” Jasper felt like she was going to burst at the seams. “Kathy, please, I-I want you to stay it’s just--”

Before she could finish her sentence, Kathy pressed a finger to her lips, her expression narrow. “If you try and pull any ‘I don’t deserve your kindness’ bullshit I’m going to slug you with that baseball bat.”

Relenting, Jasper glanced back down at the two kids in her arm and lap. 

Kathy sighed, and hugged Jasper from her perch on the couch, “I can’t change how you see yourself, I know that. But I want you to at least understand how  _ I _ see you. Because I see an amazing and kind person. And a great mom that deserves the entire cosmos. I’m staying because I  _ want _ to stay, you got it?”

“Yes ma’am,” Jasper mumbled, closing her eyes. Kathy hummed back in response before she swiftly fell back asleep. She and Diamond must’ve been exhausted. She certainly was. 

About an hour later, Garnet emerged from her room, walking carefully in an attempt not to wake anyone but Jasper stopped her: “When you told me to go babysit Diamond for the first time, did you see this happening?”

Garnet paused, giving Jasper a quizzical look.

“Me corrupting, putting my own children and Kathy in danger,” Jasper narrowed her gaze. 

“I saw a lot of possibilities, and that did happen to be one of them,” Garnet admitted, squatting down. “But I also saw a great potential for you to find inner peace with yourself. I saw a lot of happiness and a lot of good come from your bond with Diamond.”

“With or without the possibility of recorrupting?” Jasper raised a brow. 

“Jasper, as long as you still have your inner demons to face, as Steven would say, you’re always going to be at risk for that,” Garnet explained. Jasper felt a burning anger boil within. “But the difference now is simply the reason as to  _ why _ you recorrupted.”

“What does that mean?” Jasper intoned.

“Well, remember when we fought those Homeworld gems before?” Garnet offered. “Just about any time you’d get overzealous or angry, you’d lose control. You were in a constant battle of will with yourself. But now...well...look at what caused you to corrupt this time.”

Garnet gestured towards Onyx and Diamond and Jasper glanced down. Her kids...they didn’t cause her to corrupt! 

“But it wasn’t their fault!” Jasper protested. “ _ I _ was the one who hurt Onyx,  _ I _ was the one that pushed Diamond away and allowed for Holly Blue to hurt them!”

“Well, that’s also my point,” Garnet smiled. “You were scared for their safety, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Well it is wrong if I just made things worse in the process, isn’t it?”

“Well, perhaps, but you know now and you can work on that and move forward, can’t you?”

Jasper narrowed her gaze. She...supposed that the fusion had a point.

“But why?” Jasper asked. “Why have I been fine all this time but the moment it mattered--the moment my Diamond  _ needed _ me I couldn’t--”

Jasper paused. 

Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. 

She couldn’t let herself fail again. She was too afraid of that. The Quartz that Could could do just about anything...except protect those dearest to her it seemed.

Jasper grimaced as yet more tears fell out of her eyes and she managed to ask, “So why does it hurt so much more when I fail  _ them _ ?”

“Because you love them,” Garnet said gently. 

Jasper couldn’t keep herself from breaking down, but she tried to contain her sobs at least. Love...what a foolish thing. It caused her so much more grief than any other emotion that plagued her. 

“Sometimes,” Garnet began softly, “sometimes the worst kind of pain you can ever experience is hurting or failing someone you love. But those instances are also outweighed so heavily by all of the joy and peace you feel when you’re that close to a person and you can both depend on each other.”

Mulling over the fusion’s words, Jasper ran her hand through Diamond’s hair. She had to admit...as bad as she felt for corrupting...the two kids brought more joy in her life than she had ever felt since the days when she lived for seeing Pink Diamond smile down at her, patting the top of her head with praise whenever they made a successful military advance or Jasper could simply lighten her mood. And to think, if it hadn’t been for Kathy asking for a babysitter, Jasper wouldn’t have this. 

If Garnet hadn’t all but forced her to say yes to the request…

“I suppose this constitutes for later?” Jasper chuckled, glancing up at the fusion. Garnet tilted her head to the side quizzically before Jasper explained, “I never did thank you...for everything.”

“Ohh,” Garnet smiled. “Well you’re welcome. And I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Jasper grinned. With that, Garnet stepped outside of the house to do whatever it was she initially left her room to do in the first place. Jasper wriggled slightly, reclining against the side of the couch whilst trying to keep from stirring Diamond. Granted, the kid was such a heavy sleeper that nothing had woken them up yet. 

Smiling to herself, Jasper let her mind drift into a slumber. Any negative, anxiety-inducing thoughts that bubbled up in the process were quickly swatted away by the calm, even breaths of the three humans that surrounded her and made her feel loved and at home in her own planet for the first time in thousands of years. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where did all those bubbles go? FIND OUT ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF DRAGON BALL Z
> 
> (even though people've already figured it out lololol)


	28. A Diamond Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper is finally home after her corruption, and Diamond finds out where their mom's bubbles were sent to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!!
> 
> Bet you all thought you'd seen the last of me~
> 
> BUT YOU HAVEN'T! There are actually like...two-ish chapters plus maybe an epilogue left of this fic? We're in the home stretch guys. It's just adorable fluff and resolutions from here on out...
> 
> ...until the sequel... :D

Jasper couldn’t muster the energy to make it home until late afternoon the next day. Diamond was still at school when her, Kathy, and Onyx finally returned to the house with help from Amethyst and Garnet. They sat her down on the couch and Jasper felt her whole body relax for a brief moment before it seized up again. She drew in a sharp gasp, trying to keep her composure and keep from crying out.

“You okay?” Amethyst asked. Jasper nodded her head through grit teeth.

“Her body is still exhausted from the corruption,” Garnet said to Kathy, who looked visibly worried. Onyx wriggled within the woman’s arms, squirming impatiently until she finally set him down on the floor so he could hobble along the living room, experimenting with his newfound ability to walk. “It’ll probably take a few days before she can handle moving around normally without aggravating the condition.”

“So I’m pampering the daylights out of you this week is what she’s saying,” Kathy grinned, brushing a few strands of hair out of Jasper’s face. Groaning, Jasper leaned her head back against the couch cushion, not sure how long she would be able to tolerate being waited on. 

“Yeah, just don’t swat her away like you did Steven last time, Jasp,” Amethyst chortled, leaning against the arm of the couch.

“Oh can it,” Jasper quipped back. “You would be too if you woke up in the middle of an enemy base with Rose’s son trying to feed you when you had never had food before.”

“Oh, Rose’s  _ son _ ?” Amethyst waggled her eyebrows. “You sure you didn’t think he was  _ Rose _ herself?”

Jasper wasn’t sure what was more painful, her face as it twisted into a scowl or her fist as she clocked the smaller gem upside the head. 

“You thought Steven was his mother?” Kathy was really bad at hiding the visible alarm on her face. There were few times in her life that Jasper wished she was at least a little smaller than she was naturally, but for the first time ever she wanted to straight up disappear altogether and sink into the couch. 

“He has her gem!” she defended. 

“Oh,” Kathy’s brow raised. “Well, actually that makes a lot of sense.”

“Thank you!” Jasper threw her hands in the air, finding relief in the fact that  _ finally _ someone understood her train of thought, though she regretted the sudden movement instantly. 

“Amethyst thought Steven was Rose for a full year,” Garnet finally offered.

“Hey!” Amethyst snapped back, but was quickly met with a skeptical glare from Jasper. “I at least knew he was a miniature version!”

Jasper couldn’t help but make several jabs at her sister before they erupted into a shouting match of sorts that was quickly called off when an angry green patch erupted on Jasper’s hand, sending a jolt up her arm. Jasper deflated, trying not to show how much it bruised her ego that she could do hardly anything and that Garnet felt the need to direct her and Amethyst out of the house. 

“Do you want anything to eat?” Kathy asked after she closed the door behind the two other gems. 

“Not really,” Jasper sighed, rubbing her arm subconsciously. Still, she heard pots and pans clanking in the kitchen. 

“Well, I’m going to go ahead and get started on dinner for when Diamond gets home because I’m starving,” Kathy responded. “Let me know if you have any requests.”

Jasper grunted in response and closed her eyes, listening for Kathy’s movements and the occasional thud of Onyx’s butt hitting the floor. She’d slip an eye open to make sure his expression wasn’t contorting into pain from an injury, but every time he fell he’d just stagger back onto his feet and continue prancing haphazardly around in circles with a wild grin on his face, his little pill body swaying due to a lack of fine motor skills. Smiling to herself, Jasper would close her eyes again.

It felt so good to be back to normal.

It felt even better to be home. 

She still couldn’t believe she had let herself get so out of hand that she corrupted, but any time she dwelled long on the matter, she’d feel a twinge run along her side, so she tried to push the thoughts out of her mind.

The one thing that did finally cease her moping was a soft pudgy hand brushing her calve.

“Mommy?” Onyx chirped. Jasper opened her eyes and managed to sit forward, glancing down at the little boy as he grinned, outstretching his arms as he said, “Up peas!” 

“You tire yourself out finally?” Jasper chuckled, reaching down to scoop the toddler into her arms. She leaned back against the couch and Onyx rested against her chest, sighing softly as he tucked his little head into the crook of her neck. 

Stars, she loved this kid. 

Closing her eyes again, Jasper let her mind slip into a light slumber with her son.

A sharp clicking noise startled Jasper, pushing her back into alertness as she sat up and looked over to find Kathy looking tense, cringing as she was caught holding her phone up in an obvious photo-ready position.

“S-sorry,” she grunted. “You two just looked so cute I couldn’t help myself.”

Jasper smiled, “you know you can silence that, right?”

Kathy’s brow furrowed as she fiddled with the side bar that controlled sound functions on her phone. “I know how to silence it, I just forgot that I had turned the sound back on.”

“Uh-huh,” Jasper chuckled, enjoying the way Kathy’s face scrunched into a pout. 

“Well, anyway, I put some soup on the stove,” Kathy shrugged, taking a seat by Jasper, and the way the woman leaned against the gem and rested her head on Jasper’s shoulder didn’t go unnoticed. “It’s chicken noodle. Made from scratch, I’m just waiting for the broth to boil before I put the rest of the ingredients in.”

“Ooh, that’ll be good,” Jasper droned. “Diamond will like that and Onyx should be able to eat a little of that.”

As she spoke, the gem poked at Onyx’s nose, and the little boy cooed in response. 

“That’s why I’m making it,” Kathy grinned, propping her feet up on the arm of the couch so that she could lean fully against Jasper, her head sliding a little until it was now leaning against the gem’s bicep. 

Jasper gulped hard.

She had an opportunity here. 

Jasper felt her arm tense, wanting so badly to just lift it and wrap it around the woman’s body. It was almost like an instinct and she was grateful she had the self-awareness to stop herself. But still. This was a strange sensation. She drummed her fingers against her knee and grit her teeth, a small voice that hadn’t spoken to the back of her mind in millennia suddenly ordering her to keep it together and keep it professional once again. 

Except Kathy wasn’t a diamond. 

Also she was very clearly using Jasper as a pillow and that could very well be a hint that she was dropping.

Maybe?

“Oh, am I hurting your arm?” Kathy said suddenly, lifting her head. Dammit, Jasper missed the opportunity. “You look really tense.”

“N-no,” Jasper huffed, subconsciously abducting her arm in hopes that Kathy would lean against it again. “I’m fine.”

“Mmmm,” Kathy hummed skeptically. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Uh,” Jasper felt her cheeks flush, trying hard to think of a good excuse. “Actually...it...helps.”

Kathy turned herself to face Jasper fully, giving the gem a bemused expression. “Oh really?”

“Yeah,” Jasper struggled. “It...doesn’t hurt as much...when you lean against it.”

“Uh-huh,” Kathy’s tell-tale grin indicated that she did not buy Jasper’s excuse one bit and the gem mentally kicked herself. Ohhhh this was awkward. Ohhh she made it awkward. Oh no. 

Instead of making some kind of quip or walking away like she had anticipated, Kathy instead looped her arm around Jasper’s and scooted herself back up so she could prop her chin on Jasper’s shoulder, her head leaning against the gem’s. Jasper took in a breath, trying to keep herself steady as Kathy ran her hand down Jasper’s arm, tracing her fingers along the green patch blotting the side of her hand. 

“Does this hurt?” Kathy asked softly. 

“No,” Jasper said, watching the soft, lithe and gentle fingers brushing against Jasper’s larger crimson hand. They sat in silence for a long time and Jasper found herself hypnotized by Kathy’s slow and even movements, her fingers flinching slightly every time Kathy ran her fingers closer to the palm of her hand. The movements grew gradually longer and taking a deep breath, Jasper took a chance and caught Kathy’s hand as it drew close enough to her fingers. Closing her hand, Jasper glanced over to gauge Kathy’s reaction, holding her breath (she didn’t even need to breathe!), but she released it as she felt Kathy intertwine their fingers together, her body relaxing against the gem. 

“I missed you,” Kathy said softly, curling her knees up as she huddled a little closer. Closing her eyes, Jasper rested her head against the top of Kathy’s and sighed. 

“I should have called you sooner,” Jasper said finally. “I just...I didn’t want to be a burden.”

“I can promise that you are never ever a burden to me,” Kathy said, giving Jasper’s bicep a squeeze.

There was an odd practice that humans had to express love for one another. Jasper saw it a lot in the movies and soap operas that Diamond liked to watch, and the first time Steven and Connie exchanged in this interaction he had been gushing about it for days. Jasper didn’t understand it before, but looking into Kathy’s eyes, she could understand it now. 

From every corner of her gem, Jasper felt ready to burst at the seams with how much she wanted to kiss her. 

Of course, with all good things, Jasper was phenomenal at delaying for so long that she missed the opportunity, because just when she was about to say “fuck it” and go for it, the front door swung open. 

Granted, any and all frustrated melted away when Jasper heard her child’s sweet voice call out, “I’m home!” 

Kathy straightened, sitting up as she turned to face Diamond as they rounded the corner from the entryway into the living room. “Hi honey! How was your day?”

“It was kinda boring,” Diamond admitted. They paused, looking the trio on the couch up and down before they broke out into a grin. Jasper felt her brow furrow in confusion before the teenager broke out into a small sprint before they launched themselves at the couch, flopping on top of Kathy and Jasper’s laps. “I’m so glad I’m home!” 

“Oof!” Kathy grunted, not expecting Diamond’s weight to come crashing on top of her. Jasper, on the other hand, broke out into a chuckle that jerked Onyx awake. The little boy lifted his head and looked around sleepily before he registered that his older sibling was laying on their mom’s lap beneath him.

“Di-Di!”

“Hey little duuuude,” Diamond cooed back, their voice muffled from having their face squished against Jasper’s thigh. “What smells so good?”

“Kathy’s making soup,” Jasper answered. 

“Oooooh,” Diamond hummed, their legs kicking gently for a moment before the child finally sat up. Well, they more or less just rolled off the couch and onto the floor before they popped back up onto their feet and announced, “I’m going to go put sweat pants on, I’m cold.”

“Okay,” Jasper said. She glanced down to see if her youngest was giving any indication that he wanted to follow Diamond upstairs, but he nestled his head back down against the gem’s shoulder. “I think Onyx and I are going to stay put for the time being.”

“That’s probably for the best,” Kathy chuckled, her nose crinkling in the cutest of ways as she smiled. “I’ll go check on that soup.”

Jasper was left alone once again as she heard Diamond’s footsteps upstairs and Kathy’s in the other room. She glanced down at Onyx and gave him a kiss on the cheek, saying, “I missed you guys, you know that? I’m so sorry I left.”

Onyx turned his little head to glance up at Jasper, a small smile gracing his lips as he said, “You missed!”

“Yeah, I missed you a lot,” Jasper repeated, but was a little confused when Onyx shook his head. 

“No!” he announced. He then pulled up his shirt and pointed at a long scar where his belly-button would’ve been. “You missed!”

There was a brief moment of complete confusion on Jasper’s part before it finally clicked and she let out a “ohhhhh”. Diamond had gotten Onyx fixated on what they both called their “gem spots” and now he was insistent that Jasper had to kiss the area of their hypothetical gem placements. So, not one to ignore her son’s requests, Jasper lifted Onyx up and placed a kiss on the boy’s stomach, listening to his cute little giggles for a moment before she puffed her cheeks out and gave him a full rasberry. Onyx’s giggles were replaced with squeals that only heightened as Jasper bounced him lightly, tossing him a little before directing him into the crook of her arm, the whole while Onyx’s limbs flailed as he laughed wildly. 

“Hey you two,” Kathy poked her head out from the kitchen, “No fun allowed!” 

Jasper and Onyx both glanced up at Kathy, unable to contain their laughter. 

Laughter which was interrupted suddenly when Diamond’s voice screamed out, “MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!”

Jasper lurched forward, reacting on full instinct as she launched off the couch, handed Onyx to Kathy and sprinted up the stairs and into Diamond’s room before her body to register how much it did  _ not _ want to be moving at the pace that she was making it move. 

“Diamond, what happened!?” Jasper asked, heaving as she swung the door open, Kathy on her heels. Diamond was standing frozen with their closet door open wearing little more than their sweat pants and sports bra, jeans and shirt from earlier sitting clear on the floor as orange bubbles drifted lazily past their head. 

“Why are your bubbles in my room!?” Diamond shrieked, whipping their head around to show their distress. 

“Uhhhh,” Jasper stared at the bubbles blankly. She had to admit she never knew where the bubbles she had created wound up, but this just put her at a loss. One drifted past her and towards Kathy and Onyx.

“Bubbles!” Onyx cheered, reaching a hand up to touch it, but Jasper and Kathy both let out a distressed noise, Kathy taking hold of Onyx’s hand and Jasper carefully guiding the bubble away from his face. 

“Seriously, why  _ here _ ?” Diamond insisted. “I thought they would go to the temple!”

“That’s not...exactly how it works,” Jasper grunted stepping around Diamond and the masses of orange to peer into the closet. Stars, all of them really did end up here. “They just get sent...home. And the temple’s never really been a home to me.”

“Okay but why are they in  _ my closet _ ?” Diamond spat back, visibly irritated. “I can’t get to my clothes!”

“Okay, okay, calm down, we’ll figure out another place to put them,” Jasper insisted. Would she even be able to send them to another part of the house? Honestly, Diamond had a point: why were they  _ here  _ of all places? 

“Hmmm,” Diamond placed their hands on their hips, thinking for a moment. Jasper eyed them, bracing herself against the door frame feeling her body start to fatigue out suddenly. So she watched. She watched as Diamond gripped hold of one of the bubbles, turning it every which way as they eyed it before they glanced back up at Jasper as if a light bulb had gone off in their mind and they said, “I’m the one who sent them off!”

“Yeah,” Jasper noted, not catching the point. Diamond glanced back down at the bubble, furrowed their brow, and squeezed it.

Popping it.

“DIAMOND!” Jasper shrieked as the gem shards fell to the ground. She scrambled to her knees and picked it up as it started to glow in an attempt to reform. She just barely managed to bubble the shards back up in time, looking up at Diamond in horror, “Why did you  _ do _ that!?”

Diamond just pointed at Jasper with a deadpan expression and instructed, “Now tap the top.”

“Wh-what?” Jasper grunted.

“I tapped the top of the bubbles and sent them away last time,” Diamond shrugged. “So maybe because I sent them off is why they wound up in my room.”

Jasper glanced down at the bubble, noting that the kid probably had a point, but still…

Squinting, the quartz looked back up at Diamond and asked, “Yes, but why did you have to  _ unbubble _ this thing when we could have just moved it somewhere else!?”

“Uh...oh,” Diamond deflated slightly. “Well, I figured we could just start with a clean slate or something.”

Jasper glared at Diamond ever so slightly, struggling to rise back to her feet. Kathy caught her arm with her free hand and helped the gem stand fully. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Jasper tapped the top of the orange bubble, watching it disappear…

...annnnd it appeared clear as day in Diamond’s closet. 

“Well,” Kathy placed her hand on her hip, shifting Onyx slightly in her other one. “I guess that answers that.”

“But  _ whyyyyyyy _ !” DIamond moaned, gripping their hands to their head, “ _ Mom _ ! You gotta send them somewhere else! How am I supposed to get my pants without bubbles going everywhere!?”

“I-I don’t know how to control it, Di!” Jasper insisted frantically. She honestly didn’t. No one ever seemed able to fully explain how bubbling worked, and all anyone ever said about how to send them off was that you tapped the top and they went home--

... _ home _ …

Jasper glanced back down at Diamond, a strange feeling of nostalgia washing over her.

“Diamond…” Jasper said softly, catching the child’s attention. For a moment, she found herself needing to rememorize the child’s features all over again. Those big, warm brown eyes, the messy ginger hair that never seemed able to find a direction, their cute little button nose and round little face. She knew she was probably able to bubble because she finally had a place to call home...but she never once stayed in this house until Diamond spent their first night here…

This house wasn’t a home without her diamond. 

Jasper stole a glance back at Kathy, whose blue eyes sparkled, seemingly coming to the same conclusion that she was as she broke out into a huge smile. Glancing back at Diamond, Jasper took a few steps forward, tears threatening to push to the surface as she lifted Diamond into her arms, hugging them tightly.

“Oof--Mom?” Diamond grunted. It had been a little while since Jasper had held them so tightly, much less lifting them off the ground altogether. 

“I love you, Diamond,” Jasper said, pressing her hand gently against the back of Diamond’s head. “My sweet, sweet Diamond.”

“I--” Diamond started, but their back and shoulders relaxed and they wrapped their arms around Jasper’s neck. Suddenly, they let out a sniffle and whimpered, “Mom…”

“I love you so much,” Jasper’s voice betrayed her and cracked. It was all she could do to keep holding onto them. “I have a home now because of you, you know that?”

Diamond sniffled again, burying their face into her shoulder as they whimpered, “Yeah…”

If Jasper’s composure was like a gemstone, Kathy might as well have shattered it completely as she ran her hand up Jasper’s back, looking up at her with watery eyes while she added, “You know, I think I know of a little diamond that found a home because of you too, Jasper.”

Diamond let out a cough, their whimpers turning into sobs as Jasper just let the tears just roll down her cheeks. Part of her couldn’t believe it took her so long to figure this out, but the other half of her was so overwhelmed with joy she didn’t care:

She was home. 


	29. The Diamond-Studded Saga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During Kathy's stay, Jasper struggles with finally making the first move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I forgot to mention in the last chapter the part of the reason there was a gap in updates lately was because I've been in the middle of midterms. 
> 
> Also, I sure did write 30 pages for this damn chapter. I hadn't realized how much material I had to get through before I could hit the ending point that I wanted and I strongly debated dividing this chapter into 3, but that would just make Jasper's painfully slow pining even more painful for all of us involved. So here I am. Brace yourselves, it gets real cute.
> 
> Also it should definitely be noted that in the time it took me to write this chapter my roommate managed to get most of her rough draft done for a 30 page research paper and I am feeling like a garbage can in comparison. XD

Evidently, Kathy had decided to take the remainder of her semester off and not return to Jersey until the end of the term break. And because she had made that decision and already received her tuition refund, Jasper had no say in the matter. 

“Isn’t that going to put off your graduation?” Jasper pried, feeling really guilty that she was the cause of Kathy’s decision.

“Oh geez, graduate a semester earlier or spend some much needed time with someone very dear to me? I wonder I would choose!” Kathy droned sarcastically, the sounds of her slicing vegetables on the cutting board getting louder for emphasis.

“Well,” Jasper rubbed the back of her head, struggling to find the right words, “I just...well...the sooner you graduate the sooner you get to come back home for the long run...if you want...y’know.”

“Jasper,” Kathy looked up at the gem with a stern gaze, “If I hadn’t come back now, what are the odds that you would’ve sounded even more uncertain that I want to come back than you do right now?”

“I--”

Kathy cut the gem off as she stepped around the counter and placed her hands on Jasper’s hips, tugging lightly on her shirt, “I’m staying until next semester starts and that’s final. You need the help while you recover and I miss you too much to just power through anyway. Okay?”

“Alright,” Jasper grunted, heaving a sigh. She did have to admit that there was a lot of comfort in knowing that Kathy wanted to stay. 

For the first two nights, Kathy slept in the guest room. And for the first two nights, Jasper found herself unable to sleep, despite how thoroughly exhausted and taxed her body was. On the third day, her exhaustion was beginning to affect her corruption and she collapsed in the middle of the kitchen. 

“Jasper!” Kathy yelped. Onyx let out a small shriek from his high chair and broke out into sobs, and Jasper wanted nothing more than to comfort that little boy and tell him that she was alright.

But she couldn’t.

And she wasn’t.

Squinting her eyes shut as tears escaped them from the sudden excruciating pain that radiated from the back of her head, much less the rest of her body, Jasper cried out. 

“Shhhh, it’s okay,” Kathy soothed. “Just breathe.”

“I don’t--” Jasper tried to say but her words came out more foreign to her than anything. 

Don’t corrupt, don’t corrupt, don’t corrupt.

“Jasper,” Kathy said gently, “Don’t hurt yourself trying to force your body to do one thing or another. You’re okay.”

Diamond’s footsteps thundered down the stairs suddenly and they came into the kitchen asking, “What happened!?” 

“Your mom is just having an episode, Di,” Kathy explained, rubbing Jasper’s back methodically. “It just startled Onyx is all, it’s okay.”

“Can I help?”

“Why don’t you take Onyx to your room for a bit?” Kathy offered. “You guys can split what’s left in that box of cheerios and he can help you with your homework.”

“Oaky!” Diamond chirped, stepping around Kathy and Jasper. “Hey, Bro, it’s fine! Let’s go play for a bit, okay?”

Onyx’s cries calmed down ever so slightly, but Jasper could still tell when he buried his face into his sibling’s shoulder to sob harder based on the sudden muffling of his wailing. 

“ _ S-sorry _ ,” Jasper managed to whimper. Stars, why was she such a failure? She couldn’t last two days without corrupting like this? 

“Don’t apologize,” Kathy quipped. “You can’t help what your body is doing this isn’t your fault.”

“ _ But-- _ ”

“I’m not gonna hear it!” Kathy insisted. “You are okay! If you fully corrupt then you corrupt and that is  _ okay _ . I’m here for you and I can promise that you aren’t going to hurt me if you do.”

Jasper pressed her forehead against the floor and let out a sob. Was that really true? 

Well, Kathy did come out from the Beta Kindergarten unscathed...Diamond too. But still, do corrupt in her own  _ home _ ? 

Focusing on the small hand gently caressing her back, Jasper let herself cry, accepting that the chance of her corrupting was very possible and out of her control. She let herself lean against Kathy’s body and the woman was careful around the spikes that started emerging from her side. And the woman held her gently, cradling her head in her arm, just letting Jasper cry. 

And they waited for the inevitable. 

Minutes.

An hour. 

And yet, nothing happened. Instead, the pain slowly ebbed away until Jasper was able to open her eyes, slowly, carefully, and she took a deep breath. 

“Jasper?” Kathy asked hesitantly as Jasper tried to sit up.

“I’m...okay,” Jasper noted, feeling her brow furrow as she placed a hand to her chest. The spikes had retreated back into her body and while her arm was still marred with corruption markings, she was in way better shape than anytime before. 

“Of course you are,” Kathy said with a smile. “I’ve got you.”

“No, I mean,” Jasper blinked several times. “I honestly thought I was going to corrupt again. Or at least come out of it in worse shape than I was an hour ago.”

“Well, maybe that’s because you’re recovering?” Kathy offered with a shrug. “How do you feel?”

“Tired,” Jasper admitted, allowing herself to lean against Kathy’s shoulder. “Really tired.”

She felt Kathy run her fingers through her hair. “Do you want to try to take a nap?”

“I don’t know if I can sleep,” Jasper admitted. “I haven’t really been able to.”

“Seriously?” Kathy sat up, looking at Jasper with concern. “How come?”

“I dunno,” Jasper shrugged. “I’ve been feeling lonely, I guess.”

“Hmmm,” Kathy hummed. “Well, why don’t we get you to the couch for now and I’ll finish dinner.”

“Okay,” Jasper didn’t have the energy to do anything but agree with her. The rest of the evening was uneventful and the gem couldn’t help but notice how exceptionally cuddly Diamond was with her after dinner. The teen didn’t leave her side until they fell asleep on her lap late that evening, and Jasper did feel strong enough to carry them into bed. When she trudged into her room, however, she found Kathy sitting cross-legged on her bed. 

“You said you were feeling lonely,” Kathy announced before Jasper could say anything. Her cheeks were bright pink. “And...I kind of have been too. So...I just figured…”

“You’d...actually want to stay the night here?” Jasper asked in disbelief. 

“I mean, obviously,” Kathy scoffed, letting out a nervous laugh. “If...I mean if that’s okay with you.”

“Yeah,” Jasper said a little too eagerly. She changed into her shorts and sports bra before sliding into bed, trying to find a way to arrange herself before she laid down underneath the covers. 

“Huh,” Kathy grunted.

“What?” Jasper asked nervously.

Kathy broke out into a small smile, “I always wondered what the rest of your stripes looked like.”

“Uh,” Jasper grunted, feeling extremely self-conscious all the sudden. Clearing her throat, the gem tried to laugh it off, “Yeah, they’re pretty hideous.”

“What?” Kathy recoiled, looking distraught. “No! Not at all! Why would you think that?”

“What?” Jasper’s expression fell. “You...like them?”

“Of course I do,” Kathy’s voice was small as she reached up and traced her hand along the stripe running horizontally across the bottom of her deltoid. “They’re one of my favorite things about you.”

The air rushed out of Jasper completely and suddenly she felt weak to Kathy’s touch. How many times had she and her sisters tried to shapeshift their stripes away? How many times had her senior officers struck her with the whips that were practically staple for all Agates. How many times had she been called hideous and off-colored, for no other reason than the sandstone that made up who she was?

And how many times did the little Carnelian and her slender twin pat Jasper on the back after every meltdown over her blemishes and insist that it didn’t matter what Homeworld thought because stripes were the best part of any Beta Jasper? 

“Jasper?” Kathy asked again. “If I overstepped my bounds, I’m sorry.”

“No,” Jasper managed a smile. “I just...I haven’t heard anyone say that to me in a long time.”

Kathy didn’t say anything, but instead she leaned her head against Jasper’s shoulder, hooking her leg around Jasper’s for comfort. 

“Homeworld,” Jasper breathed. “Homeworld had strict standards for how gems... _ should _ be. And everyone from my kindergarten…”

“They called you the Quartz that Could, right?” Kathy interjected. “Diamond was telling me.”

“Y-yeah,” Jasper grunted, wondering if Amethyst had told them. “I got a lot of mixed signals from other gems. Depending on what was convenient for them, I was either perfect in every regard or disgusting and off-colored because of my stripes.”

“Well that’s bullshit,” Kathy groaned. 

“Yeah,” Jasper chuckled, a wave of relief washing over her as she suddenly realized that such treatment was not something she has had to deal with in a few years now. The quartz leaned back to lay on the pillow and Kathy followed her, resting her head on the gem. “But you know...back during the war...when I was with my sisters...none of us ever saw our stripes as a bad thing.”

Kathy’s eyes lit up and she lifted her head. “Really?”

“They were actually how we identified each other,” Jasper grinned, memories that were long buried bubbling to the surface. “See, we all emerged from our holes under heavy fire because the rebellion attacked, and Homeworld had built our kindergarten so haphazardly that we didn’t emerge neatly in a manner that the higher ups could easily give us proper designation and it was days before they even showed up and weeks before everything was sorted out. There was one Carnelian amongst the rest of us Jaspers and she gave us all nicknames based on our striping or what we looked like. There was Cleft, Mittens...well, then there were the triplets whose holes all merged into each other on accident. And then Skinny, she came out of the hole next to mine at around the same time so we’d always joke that we were twins. I did worry, however, if I somehow sucked any nutrients from her on accident because she literally got her name for being such a twig.”

“And what was your name?” Kathy asked, stars twinkling within her deep blue eyes. 

“Oh stars,” Jasper laughed nervously. “Take a guess.”

“Hmm,” Kathy hummed in thought, her hand tracing the defining line between her crimson forearm and the lighter orange that made up the rest of her body. “Lefty?”

“Nope,” Jasper shook her head. “There was another Jasper named Lefty. Her entire left arm was red, starting at the shoulder joint.”

“Ah,” Kathy spat. Jasper let out a laugh at how hard she was thinking on this. The woman sat up, propping herself up on her elbows as she stared down at Jasper before she guessed again, “Warpaint?”

“What?” Jasper cackled. 

“Whaaat?!” Kathy cringed. She ran her hand down the strip that ran across the width of her face at a diagonal. “Your facial markings look like warpaint!”

“We didn’t even know what that was!” Jasper retorted, unable to hold back her laughter. “And everyone had facial markings. I’m telling you, it’s way simpler than you think it is. You’re overthinking it.”

“Mmmmmm,” Kathy squinted her eyes, visibly racking her brain before she collapsed against Jasper in defeat, “I give up.”

“You want me to tell you?” Jasper bit back a smile. 

“Yes please.”

Jasper paused for a moment, taking a breath before she finally said, “Beef.”

The gem could feel the spit flying from Kathy’s mouth as she sputtered out a fit of giggles that quickly escalated into full on cackles. 

“What?” Jasper chuckled. 

“BEEEF!” Kathy howled, snorting as she rolled onto her other side. “IT’S PERFECT!”

“Well, I  _ was _ taller than everyone!” Jasper defended. Kathy just laughed harder. “Kathy!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Kathy tried to calm her giggles, wiping tears from her eyes. “It’s just so  _ fitting _ !”

“You’re an ass,” Jasper found herself giggling. 

“And your twin was  _ Skinny _ !” Kathy added, holding her sides. “You two could make a sitcom!”

“Ha!” Jasper cackled, swiftly clamping a hand over her mouth. “No, Skinny and  _ Carnelian _ could’ve made a sitcom, those two were a riot!”

“Guest starring everyone’s favorite quartz: The Beef ™ ”  Kathy giggled, splaying her hands out in front of her as if she could see a headline in the distance.

“T.M.?” Jasper asked.

“You know, the trademark symbol?” Kathy prodded. “You gotta copyright that shit as the one and only Beefcake.”

“I mean most quartzes are pretty beefy.”

“Yeah, but you’re like the ultimate Beefcake,” Kathy wiggled her shoulders slightly. 

“Well,” Jasper shrugged. “You’re not wrong.”

The two couldn’t stop giggling until late into the evening and early morning, but they did eventually giggle themselves to sleep. Or at least Jasper did. It was the soundest sleep she likely ever had. She did, however, wonder if Kathy slept that night because as she drifted back into consciousness a few hours later at the end of a sleep cycle, she slipped an eye open, catching the woman as she slowly traced the stripe that curved from her back, around her rib cage, and tapering off at her stomach. She was sitting up, her expression full of wonder as she traced the stripe a couple more times before she lied back down again resting on Jasper’s chest as she ran her finger along the edges of one of Jasper’s better hidden stripes. It was small, starting at her right armpit and hooking downward and curving along her breast. It followed the angle of the neckline on her old uniform under Yellow Diamond, so she had almost forgotten about it until she first began wearing human clothes, as it peeked out from underneath her sports bras and tank tops. 

Jasper kept still, focusing on the gentleness of Kathy’s touch before she finally heaved a sigh and her movements stilled, drifting into sleep. It suddenly clicked with Jasper what she was doing, and a flood of warmth filled the gem as she wriggled her arm out from underneath Kathy, wrapping it around her form. 

She was memorizing Jasper’s stripes. 

Glancing down at the sleeping human, Jasper fought back another urge to just kiss the woman, though this time it was out of fear of waking her up when she had just gotten to sleep. Instead, Jasper carefully turned her body so she could fully envelope Kathy, and she pressed her gem against the top of the woman’s head, grinning widely as she fell back asleep.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t long before Kathy realized that if she was staying for an extended period she was going to need more of a wardrobe. Instead of trying to make a trip to Jersey to pack up most of her closet, Kathy opted for just going shopping. 

“I’m still wearing crap from when I was married to David,” she droned. “I need a change of pace, you know?”

“Makes sense to me,” Jasper noted, following the woman’s lead through the mall as she pushed Onyx’s stroller. Diamond and Alexis had veered off into a bookstore the minute it was spotted and there was little hope of dragging those two out until it was time to go, so the women just took their time hopping from clothing store to clothing store until Kathy was satisfied with her selection. 

Jasper was more or less indifferent to clothing selection. She usually just bought what Diamond tried to put on her so long as she felt she looked halfway decent. And she had grown to really like human clothes on the off chance she could find things in her size. But shopping with Kathy was a whole different experience. This woman went from rack to rack, matching shirts to sweaters to shoes, color-coordinating, accessorizing.

And she tried on dresses.

And Jasper had never considered the possibility of dresses before. 

Not that they remotely interested her. They usually hung drearily on hangers and looked more like useless tubes of fabric than anything. Diamond had tried to get her in one or two on occasion, but she’d never bite. Plus, Diamond only wore dresses on extremely rare occasions and while the dresses they picked out looked good on  _ them _ , there was no way Jasper’s curves could pull off the same thing.

But with Kathy…

Stars, the woman practically glowed.

“You don’t think this is too form-fitting, do you?” Kathy asked as she stood in the mirrors, examining the black dress she had on. It had a high neckline and ended at her knees. She had a pretty dainty figure as was, but Jasper hadn’t noticed how soft the curves on her frame were.

And oh, that dressed hugged them in all the right ways. 

Jasper rather liked skinny black dresses, she was finding.

“No,” Jasper sat back, “That looks great on you.”

“Yeah, but do you think this is something I could wear to work?” Kathy wondered aloud. “I mean I guess I would have to put a blazer or a cardigan over it since it doesn’t have sleeves.”

“Do you want me to find one?” Jasper offered.

“Yeah, could you find something black, or gray?” Kathy asked. “Ooh! Or if you find something with a pop of color since this is black you could bring that too.”

“Yes ma’am,” Jasper answered, helping Onyx out of his stroller. Evidently the little boy wanted to run around and help Jasper find Kathy some clothes. They brought Kathy back a number of options and eventually Kathy settled on getting the dress with the blazer and Jasper was rather pleased to see the way Kathy put the new clothes in  _ her _ closet. 

Their closet.

Jasper was giddy at the very thought and couldn’t keep herself from walking into the closet to run her hand along through Kathy’s new wardrobe. 

She paused when she found the little black dress. 

Jasper pursed her lips grabbing the hanger and examining it. 

It was a really nice dress…

Jasper peered out of the closet, listening for anyone to walk into the room. Everyone was audibly downstairs. Pearl and Sheena were supposed to come over soon and judging by the volume that Kathy was speaking at, the wine had already been broken into.

Whistling to herself, Jasper carefully closed the closet door and looked in the mirror hanging off of it. Curiosity overtook the gem and she held the dress in front of her body, turning to and fro as she examined her reflection. 

Reflections were still such a new concept to her, parts of her appearance were still new for her to think about. Jasper had always taken pride in her body, pride over its strength and durability. But lately, Jasper also couldn’t help but find how much she loved how her body looked too. 

Her eyes were surprisingly striking and her gemstone was set against her face in a way that framed her cheekbones. The muscles that rippled along her body, especially in her abs - that too was something exceptionally intriguing to her; her abdomen was firm and at the right angle you could see a slight ripple as she moved, but for the most part her stomach and waist was just solid and, as diamond described it, “a tree trunk” - fascinated Jasper more than anything. She felt narcissistic for finding herself caught off guard by her own image, but for 5,000 years she didn’t have a full idea of what she even looked like.

And now...stripes that she had once seen as disgusting blemishes marring her body she now looked at through a new lense.

They were, dare she say it, beautiful.

And she  _ liked _ the way they highlighted her body. She  _ liked _ the way she looked. 

And she’d like to see how she looked in a dress, oddly enough.

The smile that had formed on Jasper lips vanished suddenly as the closet door opened, and Jasper yelped as Kathy poked her head in and said, “Hey, Pearl and Sheena are here--Jasper?”

“K-Kathy!” Jasper yelped, feeling her face heat up. “Uh-I-uh.”

“What are you doing with my dress?” Kathy asked, raising a brow. Jasper couldn’t bring herself to answer. Glancing around the closet, Kathy’s gaze drifted over to the flannel and khakis that made up the gem’s side before she guessed, “Have you never tried on a dress before?”

“Not...exactly,” Jasper coughed. 

“Oh,” Kathy looked visibly surprised. “Well, shit, if I had known that I would have taken you into Torrid while we were out today. We should go this weekend.”

Jasper was surprised by how nonchalant Kathy was about the whole thing and she hastily put the dress back on the hanger while she tried to compose herself from her embarrassment. “I--we don’t have to…”

“Oh come on,” Kathy stepped into the closet and wrapped her arms around Jasper in a hug, “It’ll be fun! Diamond can babysit Onyx and we can make a date out of it!”

“O-okay,” Jasper relented, relaxing slightly as Kathy grinned, hiding pink cheeks as she stepped hastily out of the closet before it finally registered, “Wait! Did you just say a date!?”

The date in question wound up a little more stressful than Jasper hoped when she remembered how anxious in general she got when she walked into any clothing store. Finding anything that fit around her large frame was such a nightmare, even in the plus-size stores. Afterall, human clothes weren’t necessarily made to tailor eight-foot tall rocks. 

Kathy, however, was outright determined to find a few dresses and accessories for the gem before they went to lunch and the only time she let Jasper look at the clothes on the racks was when she pointed to what sizes generally fit her. After that, Kathy just sat her down in the dressing room and flew off with the attendant for several minutes before they came back with piles upon piles of clothes. 

“Okay, before we do anything I need you to close your eyes and try on this first dress,” Kathy announced. “If it’s the right size I think you’ll really really like this.”

“Okay,” Jasper squinted, trying to pick out which dress in the massive pile was the one Kathy was referring to. 

“No peaking!” 

“How am I supposed to get a dress on if I can’t look!” Jasper snapped back.

“Just,” Kathy looked around before the attendant pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to the woman. “Thank you, Kim! Jasper, take your clothes off and then I’m going to put this blindfold on you.”

Jasper gave Kathy a sideways glance before she complied. The attendant closed the dressing room door so Jasper could undress in a little more privacy, even though she had to ignore the playful whistle Kathy gave.

“Oh shut it, you’ve seen me in my underwear plenty of times already,” Jasper snarked.

“Doesn’t change how pleasant the view is,” Kathy shrugged. The woman then narrowed her eyes, “Also I thought I told you to wear a regular bra.”

“This is a regular bra!”

“That’s a  _ sports _ bra, you can’t try on dresses in that!” 

“I don’t have anything else!”

“Ugh, you’re hopeless,” Kathy smacked a hand to her face before she stepped out of the dressing room and called, “Kiiim! Do you guys by chance do bra measurements here?”

“We sure do!” the attendant called back chipperly before she stepped in with a measuring tape and Jasper groaned and complained the entire time she was being measured. 

Apparently her size was a “DD”, whatever that meant and she sat down on the bench in the dressing room with a harrumph as Kathy pranced out announcing that she was going to get Jasper some “lacy shit” to try on.

And lacy shit she did indeed come back with. Jasper eyes the assortment of deep maroons and purples that the woman brought back with curiosity and picked out a dark pink bra with lace decorating it in a way that it came together and shaped a butterfly. She shrugged it on and gave Kathy the all-clear when she could turn around and help the gem hook the bra in the back.

“How did I know you were going to go with the pink one?” Kathy grinned to herself. “Now, this is a push-up so it’s going to give you a little more lift than you’re probably accustomed to seeing.”

A little lift was a bit of an understatement, Jasper noted, as she stared at herself in the mirror, hands subconsciously adjusting herself. 

Damn, she looked kinda hot…

Stars, if Skinny and Carnelian could just see her now, dressing in frilly human clothing she’d never live it down…

Jasper ignored the pang of grief that crossed her mind and refocused her attention to the blindfold that was now coming up to her chin.

“Ugh, bend down, I can’t reach,” Kathy grunted.

“I still fail to see how blindfolding me is going to make trying dresses on go even remotely well,” Jasper groaned. 

“Humor me!” Kathy pleaded. Jasper responded by taking the blindfold from Kathy’s hand and tying it around herself. She followed Kathy’s direction as she haphazardly tried to step into the dress without much of a visual bearing to help her. Once she finally had her feet in it, Kathy slid the fabric up her body and pushed on her arms to guide them into the sleeve holes. As Kathy zipped the dress up, Jasper could at the very least tell that it was a similar cut to the black one Kathy had gotten for herself and was  _ really _ form-fitting. She could also tell that the skirt was definitely shorter than Kathy’s ending at her mid to upper thigh (on anyone else it probably would have been longer, honestly). 

“Alright, I also got a belt to go with this so hold on a sec,” Kathy said, fastening the belt along Jasper’s waist. “Okay! You can look now.”

Jasper took the blindfold off and caught herself in the mirror. 

She froze. 

Kathy grinned as she clapped her hands on the sides of Jasper’s arms and said, “Every gal need a dash of pink in their wardrobe.”

The dress fit like a glove around her curves and it was a soft pink, adorned with small beads that ran vertically down the dress in stripes. The belt was white and the buckle came together in a silvery, diamond-shaped pattern, resting at her navel.

“It’s just like…” Jasper couldn’t finish the sentence.

“It’s like I’ve said before,” Kathy said, “Pink’s your color. Do you like it?”

Jasper couldn’t contain her smile as she stared down at Kathy, nodding, “It’s perfect.”

All in all, Jasper found herself deciding on four dresses in varying cuts and colors, and even found a little black one similar to Kathy’s. 

And all in all, the pink one was by far her favorite. 

Of course, once they got the receipt back, Jasper and Kathy glanced at each other uncomfortably, and settled for something a little...cheaper than originally planned for lunch. 

 

* * *

 

The semester flew by for Jasper. Each day brought a new adventure with Kathy, new and exciting things for Diamond and Onyx, and a little less green discoloring Jasper’s body. They celebrated when Diamond came home at the end of the school year with all A’s. They blew out the candles when Onyx officially turned two.They made dinner when Kathy’s sister Jenny came over. 

And Jasper was surprised at how much like Kathy Jenny looked. 

But the two women were polar opposites. 

Kathy, even in the home dressed conservatively. If she could spend her entire life in sweater dresses with tasteful leggings, she would. Jenny, on the other hand, kept her hair long and the underside was shaved and dyed a variety of colors that had Diamond gawking and visibly coming up with ideas. She also showed up wearing a tank top that emphasized the tattoo sleeves covering her arms. 

“Wooooah,” Diamond gawked, “Jenny, you’re so cool!”

“Why thank you, Diamond,” Jenny grinned. 

“Mom, can I get a tattoo!?”

“Not until you’re eighteen,” Jasper lectured. As with any and all facial piercings that the kid wanted to get per Sheena’s inspiration, the gem had instituted a strict rule that they couldn’t do anything until adulthood, with some exceptions. Ear lobe piercings were fine. Anything on the navel, the cartilage of their ear, or a small stud on their nose they could have if they still wanted it when they were sixteen. Everything else they could do when they were eighteen as long as they cleared it with Jasper first and it wouldn’t affect their career path, whatever that wound up being.

“Boo,” Diamond deflated. “But they look so cool.”

“They’re also very expensive,” Kathy added. “Jenny, how much was your first one?”

“Like $75,” Jenny stated, pointing to a tiny cross on the back of her neck. “But that was for an all-black tattoo that was small. Any standard tattoo that’s high quality is going to be upwards from $150.”

Diamond cringed, and Jasper sighed in relief that they had learned the value of a dollar as the concept visibly caused some recalculations in the child’s mind. 

“So, how’s the favorite sibling?” Jenny asked with a grin. “Mom was up in arms when she heard that you dropped everything to come back here.”

“Well, I’ve been doing pretty great and frankly, Mom can deal because she isn’t paying for my graduate degree,” Kathy said through tight lips. “Besides, I wanted to come home.”

“Home?” Jenny raised a brow, eyes glinting over in Jasper’s direction. The gem stiffened, not certain what to make of Kathy’s younger sister. She could tell she was being sized up but for what reason or what conclusion the woman was coming to she could not tell. 

“Yes,” Kathy said. “Beach City has always been more of a home to me than Jersey.”

“Yes, but,” Jenny looked around, gesturing to the whole dining room, “What about this specific house?”

Kathy’s eyes flitted tensely up at Jenny. “Jen. Can you not.”

“What?” Jenny leaned back in her chair. “You can tell your baby sister anything, you know.”

“Jen--”

“Look, I may be the black sheep of the family, but it’s okay if you’re the rainbow sheep--”

“JENNIFER!” Kathy slammed her hands on the table as she rose to her feet suddenly. “Stop!” 

Jasper tensed, looking back and forth from the two sisters before she glanced at Diamond who merely stared back at her with wide eyes. 

Jenny, however, merely stared at Kathy with a deadpan expression that Jasper was not unfamiliar with, seemingly unphased by the outburst.

“So Jenny,” Jasper coughed, trying desperately to change the subject, “Kathy told me that you were the one who directed her towards fostering Diamond?”

Jenny redirected her attention to Jasper with a friendly smile and said, “Oh she’s giving me too much credit! If anything, she came to me with the offer after I was telling her about a sweet little girl who just needed some extra help finding a home.”

Diamond coughed loudly, clearing their throat before Jenny jumped and immediately apologized, “Oh! Sorry sweety, sweet little  _ kid _ , is what I meant to say. I  _ love _ your new name by the way, Kiddo.”

Jenny winked at Diamond who looked at Jasper with a grin and announced, “I like her.”

Kathy let out a scoff, still standing. 

“Kathy?” Jasper tested the waters. “You...okay?”

“I’m going to the restroom,” Kathy announced in a low voice before she about-faced and went upstairs.

Jasper pursed her lips, not entirely certain what went wrong but seeing as she was going upstairs when the nearest bathroom was three feet away worried the gem. 

Diamond, however, was the one who broke the silence, “Is she okay?”

Jenny smacked her hand to her face as she leaned back against her chair, “I think I pushed a button.”

Jasper didn’t want to be the one to tell her guest that she’s just pointing out the obvious fact, so instead she tried, “What button, exactly?”

Jenny looked up at Jasper with surprise, “Oh. Uh...oh wow, this is awkward.”

Jasper raised a brow, watching as the woman nervously scratched the back of her head, “What?”

“I uh...okay, Kathy's been negative helpful in confirming  _ anything _ for me and the whole family has been talking so I’m just going to ask point blank,” Jenny clasped her hands together, her cheeks flushing, “Are you two dating?”

Jasper was so surprised by the question that she almost leaned back too far and fell out of her chair. Diamond, broke out into hysterical laughter as they pounded their fist on the table. Onyx, confused by the whole scenario just clapped his hands and giggled as he tried to mimic his sibling. 

“What?”

“I’m so sorry,” Jenny covered her face in her hands, “It’s just...gaagh, okay so no one in the family ever liked David. The girl married him straight out of high school and never once dated anyone else.”

“Okay,” Jasper felt her brow furrow, not sure why knowing Kathy’s personal life had anything to do with how Jenny came to  _ that _ conclusion.

“Kathy and I shared a room as kids,” Jenny explained, “She’s my big sister. We told each other  _ everything _ , and she would gush on and on about how cute David was, how good he was to her, how she couldn’t wait to finally have a family. But the whole thing seemed odd to me, I mean, I may be the little sister but I want to look out for her and frankly that guy was a tool.”

“Oh I know it,” Jasper crossed her arms, still not getting the point. 

“Well, she also never really gushed about anyone,” Jenny continued. “And, well, our parents were really strict and  _ really _ Catholic.”

“I know that too,” Jasper was getting impatient. Jenny was not at all as skilled at getting to the point as Kathy was. 

Jenny’s face contorted a little as she struggled to get out the next sentence, “Well...I was...surprised when she said she was marrying David because...well...I had pegged her as...well...I thought she was gay?”

At  _ that, _ Jasper’s posture slackened and she glanced over at Diamond who was staring at Jenny with wide eyes, clearly eating up all the gossip.

“Diamond, could you go into the kitchen and get the pie out of the fridge?” Jasper asked. She wasn’t sure how she felt about letting them in on Kathy’s private matters when she wasn’t in the room. 

Diamond didn’t register what Jasper had said fully but instead muttered out loud, “This is better than  _ Days of Our Lives _ …”

“Diamond,” Jasper groaned again.

“Nothing!” Diamond yelped, not realizing that she had caught their verbal tick clear as day this time. “I’ll go get the dessert!”

“Thank you,” Jasper smiled at them and waited until they left the room before she leaned forward and said, “What are you getting at?”

“Oh come on, you don’t see it?” Jenny asked, “Jasper, she gushes about you more than she ever gushed about David in high school. She’s  _ in love _ with you!”

Jasper felt herself fighting back a smile at this piece of news and also trying to deny it because she had no confirmation from Kathy herself but she did wonder out loud, “Is that a bad thing?”

“What?” Jenny looked surprise, “Oh no! No no no, she thinks you’re great and I mean, this is the first time that I’ve met you but you seem awesome it’s just...my sister is also hella closeted.”

Jasper raised a brow. For all the rant videos she had made about human sexuality and societal norms, she still failed to understand how someone’s sexuality was such a big deal to some humans. She and Kathy had been sharing a  _ bed _ for almost two months and Jasper was at least socially aware enough to catch that waking up tangled into each other’s limbs every morning was nowhere near platonic, whether she was capable of finally making a move or not. 

“I thought you guys were dating,” Jenny said again, “Based on everything she had said and the way she talks about your kids as if they’re her own...and I thought that...I thought that meant that she had finally come out and reconciled that with herself.”

“Oh,” was all Jasper could say. 

Wait, so she  _ hadn’t _ ? Jasper glanced up at the doorway where Kathy had exited earlier. 

“Oh stars this isn’t good,” Jasper said. “We should go check on her.”

Faint recognition registered in Jenny’s eyes and a similar flash of worry crossed her features, “Good idea.”

Jasper told Diamond where they were going and asked them to help clean Onyx’s face off from dinner before they went upstairs. When she peered into the door of the bedroom, Jasper found Kathy laying on the bed clutching a pillow as she had seen many times before when the woman was going through her divorce.

“H-heeey, Kath,” Jenny greeted, sounding real guilty. “Um...I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Not now,” Kathy groaned. Jenny and Jasper exchanged glances, deciding what to do before Jasper opened the door a little more and gestured for Jenny to go in and talk to the woman while she waited by the doorway. Taking a breath, Jenny stepped in and carefully sat down on the bed next to Kathy. 

“I didn’t mean to call you Rainbow Sheep,” she finally said. 

That got a small laugh out of Kathy as she smacked her younger sister with a pillow. 

“It’s not that it’s just…” Kathy drew in a sigh. “I know Mom and Dad have been talking and I’m just...I’m sick and tired of it.”

“I know,” Jenny said. “It sucks, I know. But for God’s sake, Kathy you’re an adult! Plus, if you can willingly fight with Mom about how your foster child is not, will not be, and never was a girl just because they were designated such at birth, then you have the right to assert your own sexuality!” 

“Well that doesn’t really matter since we aren’t dating, now does it?” Kathy snapped back with venom dripping from her tongue. Even Jasper had to flinch at the way she spoke. 

...she seemed kind of bitter about that…

“Well it matters because you’re really obviously into her!”

“She’s an  _ alien _ Jenny! And also stupidly out of my league!” 

“So you  _ do  _ like her!”

“Shut up!”

“Bitch, why don’t you make a move already!” Jenny squealed, smacking Kathy playfully with the pillow as she bounced excitedly. “Aaaah! My sister’s gonna have a space girlfirend!”

“Jenny! She’s from  _ Earth _ ! Shut up, would you!?”

“SPACE GIRLFRIENDS!”

“JENNIFER!”

Jasper took the squealing and Kathy’s sudden worry that she would overhear what was being said as her cue to leave. Trotting down the stairs, Jasper sat down on the floor, cheeks flushing wildly as Onyx handed her a pile of Legos.

“I’m building!” Onyx announced, pointing at the castle on the box. Jasper followed along with her son’s instructions as she helped him assemble the structure, but was stopped briefly when Diamond leaned their weight against her, slinging their arms around she she could look at their Pinterest board that was pulled up on their phone.

“Pick out a dress,” Diamond instructed, scrolling through the page so fast that the white dresses on the search screen blurred together. Jasper blinked several times before she pushed the phone away gently.

“Why?”

“For your dress, obviously!” Diamond said, as if that explained everything.

“I think I’m good on dresses for now, actually,” Jasper said, giving Diamond a playful nudge. Diamond hummed disapprovingly.

“No, it’s for your wedding board,” they elaborated.

Jasper froze and looked at her child, “My what?”

“I’m thinking a space theme,” Diamond said, swiftly standing back up and trotting away from Jasper. “You know, since you and Kathy are space girlfriends.”

Jasper felt as if her gem was going to melt off of her face her entire form heated up with embarrassment so much. They  _ heard _ that!?

“WE AREN’T DATING!”

“Then make a move, Mom!”

“Diamond!”

“I’m gonna go ask Kathy what dress style she likes!”

“Diamond, no!”

“Chaotic goooooood!” Diamond cheered as they lifted their arms square above their head and sprinted up the stairs. Jasper didn’t know what it was that had Diamond so into the whole moral alignment chart that had them giggling about their favorite characters on tv shows all the time, but she couldn’t bring herself to meet Kathy’s gaze when the woman came back down a half hour later redder than a tomato with her sister snickering behind her.

It was another hour and a lot of dessert before Jasper could even scrounge up the courage to sit next to Kathy on the couch when they put in a movie. What was happening throughout, Jasper couldn’t say, she found herself too focused on the way Kathy leaned against her with her arms firmly crossed over themselves the entire time. 

Jasper also couldn’t help but notice that the only one even paying attention to the movie was Onyx until he fell asleep, because Diamond and Jenny very obviously had their eyes on Jasper and Kathy. 

Jasper drummed her fingers on her knees, debating whether or not to make a move, only to have the decision made for her when Kathy stood up to for real use the restroom. Mentally kicking herself, Jasper stood up figuring she needed to put Onyx to bed anyway, ready to give up all hopes of advancement. When she stood however, she found a set of blue eyes and a set of brown glaring fiercely at her.

“Make a move!” they both whispered at her.

“I’m  _ trying _ !” Jasper whispered back.

“That’s not trying, that’s sinking my OTP, Mom!” Diamond hissed. 

Jasper rolled her eyes as she scooped Onyx into her arms. She knew she needed to do  _ something _ , but she didn’t know how. As she set Onyx down in his bed, the little boy stirred slightly, opening his eyes to smile at Jasper.

“Did I wake you?” she asked him. “Go back to sleep.”

“Mommy,” Onyx cooed, reaching his hands up to pat her face.

“What is it, Kiddo?” Jasper asked, unable to contain her smile.

“Move on Mama!” 

Jasper’s smile fell. 

Oh great, even the toddler knew she was taking too long. Heaving a sigh, Jasper gave Onyx a kiss on the lips and a kiss on his tummy before she returned downstairs where she found Kathy sitting back on the couch and Diamond and Jenny watching her with big and curious eyes.

Jasper rounded the couch, noting how tightly crossed around herself Kathy was, her eyes looking tired. 

“You okay?” Jasper asked as she sat down. That seemed to snap Kathy out of her trance as she shook her head and looked up at Jasper.

“What? Oh! No I’m fine,” she stumbled over her words, back stiff as a board as if she was deciding whether or not to lean against Jasper again. 

“Well, I put Onyx to bed, so if anyone else needs to sleep, that’s okay,” Jasper said, also sitting stiffly. She stared into Kathy’s eyes, feeling  _ so torn _ . Her impulses told her to just give in, her everything else told her to pull herself together. 

But once, just this once, Jasper wondered what the harm would be in giving into her impulse.

Taking in a sharp breath, Jasper leaned back against the couch, lifted her arm around Kathy’s entire form, and scooted her as close to her own form as she could. 

Kathy let out a small squeak, caught off guard for a moment. But she relaxed suddenly and swung her legs onto Jasper’s lap, nuzzling her face against Jasper’s chest. 

It took everything Jasper had to keep from leaping with victory as she slowly glanced over at Diamond and Jenny who were flailing quietly in their seats and giving her a thumbs up. Kathy drifted in and out of slumber the rest of the evening and after an invitation was extended to let Jenny stay the night in the guest room, Kathy excused herself and went to bed. By the time Jasper had helped Jen find everything she needed to go to bed and tucked Diamond in, she thought the woman was sound asleep as she crept carefully into the room and slid into the bed as silently as possible.

“Jasper?” Kathy said quietly.

“Oh, sorry, Kathy, did I wake you?” Jasper asked. 

“No,” Kathy said, “I was already awake.”

“Ah,” Jasper grunted as she laid down on her side, facing the woman’s back. 

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Kathy said suddenly. Jasper scooted closer to Kathy and draped an arm over Kathy’s body. 

“Hey, it’s alright,” Jasper said. “Jen said she thought she might’ve pushed your buttons and she felt bad.”

“I know, it’s just…” Kathy’s voice drifted off. “I don’t know.”

“I really like your sister,” Jasper offered suddenly. “I’m glad you have someone like her in your life.”

“You think so?” Kathy said, turning her head slightly to face the gem.

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad,” Kathy grinned, turning back around. They were silent for a moment before Kathy finally said, “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course,” Jasper answered. 

“Um,” Kathy sounded breathless for a moment, “I know this sounds silly to say considering...everything...but...I’ve never said this out loud before so…”

“It’s not silly,” Jasper pressed, giving Kathy’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “You can tell me.”

“I’m bisexual,” she said quickly and Jasper could feel the woman’s skin heat up as she flushed. 

Jasper couldn’t remember how she reacted when Diamond came out to her, mostly because she was horridly confused as to what human gender even  _ was _ and so she didn’t have a good reference as to what the appropriate reaction would be. So, Jasper simply pulled Kathy close to her and rested her chin on the woman’s shoulder, smiling. 

“Well, you know that’s all good with me,” Jasper said softly. “But thank you for telling me.”

Kathy responded by turning to face Jasper and scooted down a little, burying her face in the gem’s chest. “Jasper, I…” Kathy started only the trail off again. “I...think you’re pretty great.”

“I think you’re pretty great too,” Jasper said as the two drifted to sleep in each other’s arms

* * *

 

 

The day Kathy announced that she had to book tickets back to Jersey was a somber one to say the least. Jasper tried hard to keep from showing how sad she was to think of the woman leaving, even if it was temporary. 

The day she had to take Kathy to the airport, Diamond straight up started crying. 

“Ohhh, Diamond,” Kathy blubbered, tears welling in her eyes as she pulled the child into a hug. “It won’t be for long this time, I promise.”

“I know,” Diamond whimpered, rubbing their eyes, “It’s just...I dunno…”

“Oh stars,” Jasper’s voice broke as she wiped a tear out of her eye. They hadn’t even left the house yet. “Okay, group hug for the road.”

Jasper enveloped both her kids and Kathy into one big hug. When they got to the airport, Kathy checked her suitcase in at check-in and carried a briefcase with her as a carry-on. Save for a few articles, she decided to leave her new wardrobe at the house so she had less to bring with her this time. 

“Well,” Kathy smoothed her hair out as they approached the security checkpoint, “At least this is the last time I have to go back to Jersey.”

“Well, last extended stay,” Jasper corrected. “You’ll prooobably want to go back to visit your parents on occasion.”

“Yes, but hopefully I’m not traveling alone the next time,” Kathy winked. Jasper chuckled at that and rolled her eyes. 

“Do you have your ticket? ID?”

“Yes, yes, I have everything,” Kathy smiled. “Well, you three take care of yourselves while I’m gone.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Diamond said, fighting to keep composure. Kathy pulled them into another hug, holding them tightly.

“I’m so so proud of you,” she said in Diamond’s ear. “So so proud.”

“Thanks,” Diamond mumbled.

“I’m serious!” Kathy insisted. She finally released Diamond from the hug and gave them a kiss on the forehead. “I love you, Diamond.”

“Love you too,” they smiled.

Kathy gave Diamond’s cheek an affectionate stroke with misty eyes as she squatted down and held her arms out for Onyx to give her a hug. 

“Bye Mama,” Onyx said somberly. Jasper had to look away as she watched Kathy’s lip quiver while she ran her fingers through the boy’s hair. 

“Bye sweetheart, you take care of your Mommy and sibling now, you hear?” Kathy instructed as she released the boy. Onyx nodded his head and smiled. 

When it was Jasper’s turn, the gem couldn’t say anything without losing her composure so she just pulled Kathy into a tight hug. 

“I’ll text you when I land,” she said to the gem. “And I’ll try to call you tonight.”

“Sounds good,” Jasper nodded, releasing Kathy so she could wipe her eyes dry. “Fuuuuck this is harder than last time.”

Kathy spat out a laugh wiping her own eyes before her smile fell suddenly. “Hey Jasper?”

“Yeah?” Jasper looked down at the woman in confusion as her cheeks turned bright red. Before Jasper could ask what that was about, however, she was pulled downward by the collar and caught completely off guard as Kathy pressed her lips against the gem’s. 

Just as Jasper processed that Kathy was  _ kissing _ her, Kathy drew her face back, cheeks redder than Jasper had ever seen.

“Um,” Kathy coughed. “I should...catch my flight…”

“Wait,” Jasper caught the woman’s arm as she tried to turn away. “I didn’t get to kiss you back.”

Kathy squeaked in surprise as she stared up at Jasper in awe. Cupping the woman’s cheek in her hand, Jasper carefully stooped down and finally,  _ finally _ kissed Kathy. Her lips were soft and gentle and Jasper tried her best to be just as so. The woman stole her breath away when they finally drew back, staring into each other’s eyes with wonder. 

So  _ this _ was what all the hype about true love’s kiss was. 

“Um,” Jasper finally said. “I guess...you should catch your flight.”

“Yeah,” Kathy breathed. “I’ll keep you posted today.”

“Okay,” Jasper choked. 

“One more for the road,” Kathy said, giving Jasper yet another kiss, but she kept it to a small peck this time before she rushed away from Jasper’s arms as if she feared she’d never leave if she stayed any longer. As she got in line to go through security, she stole a glance back at Jasper and the kids, smiling as she waved to them.

Jasper feebly waved back before she turned and found Diamond and Onyx staring ever so knowingly at her. Diamond leaned against the stroller that Onyx had sat back down in, Diamond propped their elbow against the handle, Onyx propped his against his own knee, both resting their heads in their hands as if the two had coordinated their expressions. 

“What?” Jasper asked, not even able to pretend to be gullible.

“Soooo space wedding?” Diamond asked. 

Jasper felt her lips quirk to the side as she tried to fight back a smile. 

“Well I don’t know about the wedding part,” Jasper admitted. “But if you want to help me plan our first date you can set up a pinterest board for that.”

“YESSS!” Diamond squealed, leaping into the air. 

Of course, it wasn’t until the trio got back to the car that Jasper realized that she never  _ officially _ asked Kathy out.

Apparently, Kathy was thinking of the same thing when Jasper felt her phone vibrate. 

“Did you forget something?” Jasper asked as she answered. 

“YES!” Kathy shrieked into the phone. “I forgot to ask! Um...will you--? Could we--?”

“Space girlfriends?” Jasper asked, grinning as she heard Diamond screaming with elation next to her.

“God dammit Jenny told you didn’t she,” Kathy groaned. “But yes.”

“Yeah,” Jasper responded.

“What?”

“I’m saying yes, Kathy,” Jasper laughed, unable to contain her glee. “I would  _ love _ to be your girlfriend.”

“Oh!” Kathy sounded breathless on the phone. “That-that’s great! I don’t know what to do now!

Jasper chuckled, “Well, go get some food then. I gotta figure out lunch for the kids.”

“Alright, sounds good,” Kathy said. “Well, I’ll talk to you guys later.”

“Love you,” Jasper said, but only caught her flub when she heard Diamond squealing next to her. “I--shit, I mean--!”

“I love you too, Jasper,” Kathy said, her voice barely audible over Diamond’s chanting. Jasper felt something flutter within her chest.

Love, what a great feeling to feel.

“Text me when you land,” Jasper said again.

“Okay,” Kathy said. “Bye, Babe.”

Jasper coughed, trying to keep from making any exasperating noise in response to the sudden pet name, “Bye.”

When Jasper hung up the phone she caught Onyx grinning from ear to ear in the backseat and Diamond bouncing uncontrollably.

“My OTP is canon,” Diamond grinned. 

“Yes, yes,” Jasper droned, putting the van in drive. 

“MY OTP IS CANOOOOOON!” Diamond screamed, lifting their arms in victory. “Oh my stars, I cannot  _ wait _ to tell the others!”

Jasper shook her head. Normally, she would try to contain Diamond’s excitement, but this time however, she would gladly relish in whatever victory celebration Amethyst pulled out from under her sleeve at the news. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same, Diamond. SAME :D


	30. Pink Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a snow day, Jasper, Diamond and Onyx stumble into a little bit of fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOY HERE I AM AGAIN!! SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER! 
> 
> (Unless the next chapter turns out too long because I don't think I'm going to give you a thirty page monster again lol)

A snowstorm had taken over most of the region, covering even Beach City in a white tundra. Diamond’s school had been called off the night before and they woke up excitedly to see the snowflakes covering their window. Their excited footsteps had stirred Jasper from her slumber for but a moment and she chuckled to herself, rolling over to try to get a few more minutes of quiet. 

If Diamond was trying to sneak up on Jasper while she was sleeping, however, they would first have to learn to be more quiet and second teach Onyx how to control his tiny giggles. Nevertheless, Jasper kept still, fighting back a smile.

“MOM!” Diamond yelped, launching onto Jasper. “It’s snowing! It’s snowing! It’s Onyx’s first snow!”

“Oof!” Jasper grunted, surprised by the weight that fell on top of her. She managed to roll onto her back and found both Diamond and Onyx sitting on top of her, grinning madly. “Is it now?”

“Yeah! Come look!” Diamond took hold of Jasper’s hand, trying to drag her out of bed as if years of attempting to move their gigantic quartz of a mother only to receive the opposite reaction taught them nothing. This time, however, Jasper playfully complied and rose out of bed, following her children as Diamond guided her down the stairs by the hand and Onyx attempting helping by occasionally tapping her leg from behind. Diamond let go of Jasper’s hand and sprinted to the front door, swinging it open. 

Jasper stepped out, staring at the soft white landscape as flurries danced around her. She blinked several times, and suddenly Jasper was transported back in time to her first snow.

 

_ “Look at all this Jasper, isn’t it beautiful?” Pink Diamond held her hand out, letting soft ice crystals land delicately on her palm. She smiled brightly, her blush colored eyes sparkling brighter than her rose gold crown as she took a few more steps out in the snow. Jasper followed obediently behind her diamond, amazed at the stark contrast in landscape compared to the desert of her kindergarten. _

_ “It certainly is,” Jasper managed to say, though she was hard pressed to find how the soft white blankets even compared to the beauty of the diamond before her.  _

_ “It’s a shame,” Pink Diamond sighed, “Once this planet is fully colonized, beauties like this just won’t exist anymore. Oh how I wish my sisters could see the value in a rare jewel such as Earth.” _

_ Jasper glanced up sheepishly at her diamond as the wind caught her dark magenta hair and sheer, sparkling cape, a naive thought crossing her mind: “Why couldn’t you show them? Certainly you have the power to dictate what happens on your planet, My Diamond.” _

_ The minute the words slipped out, Jasper tensed, though she could not clamp her mouth shut in time. She should’ve known better than to speak her mind on matters she clearly didn’t know enough about. Had she spoken to an Agate, she would have already met the cruel lash of a whip by now.  _

_ Instead, Jasper was met with glistening eyes and a broad smile as Pink Diamond mused, “That is a wonderful thought, isn’t it? Thank you for that, Jasper.” _

 

Another diamond brushing past Jasper with an onyx in tow, dancing through the snow banks in little more than their pajamas snapped Jasper back to reality as she barked, “Hey! Get back in here, you two are going to get sick!”

“But Mooom!” Diamond whined as Onyx chucked a haphazard snowball at them. “It’s a  _ snow day _ ! These days were made to be spent outside!”

“Well, you can do that after you have breakfast and get properly dressed!” Jasper crossed her arms. Diamond groaned, overly eager and full of energy, but complied nonetheless. Onyx was a little more hesitant to leave the wondrous landscape as he looked up at the sky in awe, distracted by the snowflakes landing on him, starkly contrasting his pitch black hair. 

“Onyx,” Diamond tugged at the little boy’s hand. “Come on.”

Onyx wriggled his hand out of Diamond’s, paying them no attention. Jasper felt her brow crinkle as she stepped out into the front yard, made a mental note to take a picture of Onyx in snow up to his waist because it looked so freaking cute, and plucked her son out of the snow.

“Come on, little man, you need to eat something first,” Jasper instructed as the boy whined. As impatient as her children were, they really didn’t have to wait that long until they had food in their bellies and they were bundled up sufficiently, sprinting out into the back yard to build a snowman. Alexis came over shortly after, knocking on the front door. 

“Hi Ms. Quartz!” Alexis grinned, “Is Diamond home?”

“They’re out in the back with Onyx if you want to join,” Jasper jutted her thumb towards the back door. “I’ll be making lunch soon.”

“Okay!” Alexis entered the house, trying to tap the snow off of her boots before she ran through to the other exit. “Thank you so much!” 

“No problem, Kiddo!” Jasper grinned back at the girl, “And please, call me Jasper!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Shaking her head to herself, Jasper kept an eye on the kids from the warmth of the dining room, leaning back in her chair as she video chatted with Kathy who had also managed to get snowed into her apartment.

“How’s your thesis going?” Jasper asked after a period of silence. It had become a habit for them, in maintaining their long-distance relationship, to video chat in the evenings or during quiet parts in the day. They didn’t always speak, Kathy usually had homework to do or Jasper had emails to answer or videos to edit, but just seeing the other’s face and hearing the other’s voice on occasion was more than enough.

“It’s going,” Kathy droned, tapping her keyboard in frustration. She had been in a foul mood since the day before, and though she insisted that things were fine and tried to keep the conversation focused on Jasper, how the kids were doing, and anything not relating to her, the gem still could tell by her very expression that something was wrong. 

“Alright, spill it,” Jasper said, “What happened?”

“Mmm,” Kathy groaned. “I don’t want to be a downer.”

“Kathy, for the last time you aren’t a downer,” Jasper tried everything to keep from looking exasperated. “I’m your  _ girlfriend _ I like to know what’s happening in your life, good or bad.”

At the g-word, Kathy perked up a bit, a small smile forming on her lips. Sighing, she finally said, “I had dinner with my parents yesterday.”

Jasper was surprised by the statement and fought back a visible cringe. It had been a month since Kathy had informed her parents that she was dating...well...an “alien rock lady” as her father had called Jasper once, and though Kathy didn’t say much of how that exchange went, Jasper knew based on the red in her eyes and the spontaneous visit from Jenny the next day that it did  _ not _ end well. And this was the first Kathy had mentioned of seeing them ever since. 

“And...how did that go?” Jasper hesitantly asked.

“About as well as you could imagine,” Kathy sighed heavily. 

“Ah,” Jasper grunted, trying to keep her mind from going to worst-case-scenario despite the invitation.”Are you okay?”

Kathy pursed her lips and drummed her fingers against her desk before she finally added, “Yeah...I’m better than I was earlier.”

“Anything I can do?” 

Kathy shrugged.

A moment of silence.

“Jasper…” Kathy’s brow furrowed, “I know this is probably too early to even discuss this but…”

Holding in a groan, the gem braced herself, she knew exactly where this was going. Afterall, it wasn’t like the thoughts didn’t plague her either.

“What are you going to do when...I mean...Jasper I’m  _ human  _ and--”

“Kathy,” Jasper sucked in a breath. “It’s okay. I’m going to outlive a lot of people I love and I’ve accepted that. Honestly, I’m just grateful I have time with you at  _ all _ and if you’d let me spend the rest of your life with you, then that’s all I could ever want.”

On the computer screen, Kathy poked an eye out from behind her hands, “...are you proposing…?”

“No,” Jasper fought back a grimace. The last thing she wanted to do was risk gluing Kathy to her side in such a commitment after how miserable she was getting divorced. And besides, if marriage was anything like fusion then there was no  _ way _ Jasper would subject the woman to  _ that. _

“Mm,” Kathy grunted, giving an unreadable expression. 

“Hey,” Jasper pressed.

“What?”

The gem smiled, “I love you.”

At that, Kathy broke out into the smile that Jasper had been waiting to see as she laughed, “I love you too, you big oaf.”

“Also what’s your address?”

“Uhh,” Kathy leaned back skeptically, “Why do you need to know?”

“I’m making some notes of things,” Jasper said, staring at the plethora of tabs she had opened and remembering her initial reason for trying to tear Kathy’s attention away from her thesis. “Just bookkeeping things.”

“Uh-huh,” Kathy arched a brow but gave Jasper the address, apartment number, and everything Jasper needed to finish the flower order she had been trying to place from the moment she saw the sullen expression on her girlfriend’s face. 

“Okay,” Jasper said, hitting the ‘submit’ button so she could review the order summary as she bit back a smile, “Also, I’m an idiot. What day did we start dating? I need to remember our anniversary.”

“Oh my god,” Kathy chortled. “I hadn’t even thought about that. I know it was right before Christmas because I was trying to beat the holiday rush but I’m going to have to dig up an old flight confirmation to find the exact date.”

“Oh, right, I could probably look that up too,” Jasper knitted her brows together, trying to find the email that Kathy had forwarded her when suddenly a question popped into her head: “Wait, what’s Christmas?”

“It’s--wait,” Kathy’s face scrunched together indignantly, “You’re joking right?”

“No,” Jasper said blankly.

“You mean to tell me,” Kathy started, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger, “That after all these years on Earth,  _ all _ of the commercialization of holidays, that you don’t know what Christmas is?”

“Uhhh.”

“The mall santas that are on every corner? Rudolph the rednose reindeer? The holiday sales and black friday!? Gift exchanges!? Literally  _ everything _ closes on Christmas Day and school calendars are framed around this holiday!”

“Ohhhh!” Jasper’s mind finally clicked with recognition. “You mean X-mas!”

“What.”

“Y-you know,” Jasper shrugged, feeling awkward with the woman’s blue eyes staring her down. “You’re talking about the sale adds and the santas and the posters all say ‘X-mas’ on them. I usually just let Diamond pick out something nice a few days beforehand and we just have all of the Crystal Gems over for dinner.”

“Jasper,” Kathy smacked her hand to her face. “That  _ is  _ Christmas. The ‘X’ is just a way to abbreviate the first part of the word.”

“That makes no sense,” Jasper felt her face flatten. “Why an X?”

“Because the Christ part stands for Jesus who died on a cross,” Kathy tried to explain, but when she was met with a really clueless gem staring back at her the woman sighed and said, “It’s a religious thing that the holiday is based off of. You know, for someone who gave such a well-done rant about the commercialization of holidays that it was shown in my marketing analytics class, you are pretty damn clueless when it comes to holidays.”

“I’m aware,” Jasper groaned, smacking her head against the table. With every new holiday she learned about she got more torn between caring even less because stars, this was too much to keep track of and feeling like even more of an imbecile. The two chatted for a little while longer before Jasper glanced out the window and noticed how white with snow the kids’ coats were getting and she sighed, bidding the woman goodbye so she could usher the trio in before they caught colds. 

“Awww, but we was just getting ready to show Onyx how to make a snow gem!”

“A snow gem?”

“It’s like a snowman but bigger!” Alexis explained, wiping her soaked mitten against a cherry red nose. 

“Well, you guys can make all the snow gems you want once you dry off for a bit, okay?” Jasper offered as she knelt down to help Onyx out of his winter coat and boots. The kid was so bundled up that he couldn’t quite hold his arms at his sides and still the snow soaked clear through to his under shirt. Jasper glanced up and noticed that Diamond and Alexis were too and Alexis was shivering.

“Diamond, why don’t you take Alexis upstairs and let her borrow some of your clothes while hers dry off,” Jasper instructed. “I’ll make some hot chocolate.”

“Actually,” Diamond bounced excitedly at the offer, “Alexis’s parents finally opened their bakery yesterday and they sell coffee and hot chocolate there. Could we go? Pleeeease?”

“Peas, Mommy?” Onyx chimed, his dimples emphasized by the red in his cheeks. Sighing heavily, Jasper stood fully and noted the chunks of ice that clung to Diamond’s hair and she subconsciously tried to brush it out of their bangs only to receive a groan and a slight nudging to push her hand away in response. 

“How far is it?” Jasper asked. 

“Not real far,” Alexis answered. “It’s on the way to the boardwalk.”

“Yeah it’s suuuuuper close!” Diamond grinned. “We could walk there if you didn’t want to drive in the snow!”

“Yeah, I don’t really want to do that,” Jasper added, trying not to think about the fact that she still needed to shovel the driveway. Greg had warned her about how bad roads could get when it snowed, and oh man did she not want to see that for herself with kids in tow. But another glance back down at three sets of pleading eyes and she caved. “Okay, go get changed into something drier and we can go.”

“Yay!” Diamond cheered, “Thanks, Mom!”

“Thanks Ms. Quartz!” Alexis added, following Diamond upstairs to change. Jasper took Onyx into her arms and helped him out of his wet clothes, checked his training diaper (which was surprisingly still dry), tried to get him to use the restroom only to be met with a level of stubbornness that Jasper could only guess he learned from her, and helped him back into a new set of clothes. 

Alexis had been right on the mark when she said the bakery-cafe was a quick walk, and of course, the minute they set foot through the door, Onyx wriggled uncomfortably in Jasper’s arm and looked up at her to announce, “I have to go potty.”

It took Jasper all that she had to keep from losing her sanity at the statement. 

“Then why didn’t you go before we left?” Jasper forced herself to keep a patient tone as she asked.

Onyx smiled at her as if the toddler had no soul, “I didn’t feel like it.”

Of course. 

That made total sense.

“Well, you’re gonna have to hold it now, Little Dude,” Jasper heaved a sigh, trying to ignore the teenagers snickering at her side. 

“Yeah, no coffee Onyx, that’ll just have to make you pee more,” Diamond teased. 

“I don’t haveta pee I haveta poo,” Onyx announced, crossing his arms as he glared at his older sibling. 

Diamond only laughed harder as Jasper let out a long groan and redirected her attention to the tote bag Alexis had been carrying, “Alexis, did you bring your clothes with you?”

“Yeah, I figured I could just stay here until my parents closed up shop,” Alexis shrugged, “Mom wanted me to stop by and help out when I left your house anyway.”

“Okay, well that works out perfectly,” Jasper said leading the two kids to the front counter. “Also, you guys pick out whatever you want, I’m buying.”

“Sweet,” Diamond grinned, pressing their face against the glass as Alexis thanked Jasper profusely as her mother, Brenda, stepped up to the counter.

“Oh hi, Jasper,” the woman greeted. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Jasper grinned. “This place looks great!”

“Thank you,” Brenda said. “It’s been a little busy since we opened, but I’m taking that as a good thing.”

“I would too,” Jasper nodded. “Anyway, can I get three hot chocolates and...Diamond, Alexis what do you guys want to eat?”

“Could I have a muffin?” Alexis asked. 

“Alexis, honey,” Brenda heaved a sigh but was stopped by Jasper’s insistence.

“No no, it’s my pleasure,” Jasper said. “I offered to get the kids something.”

“Well, if you insist,” Brenda heaved a sigh as she plucked a muffin out with a set of tongs. “What do you want Diamond?”

Diamond didn’t respond right away and Jasper glanced down at them. They were staring intently off to the distance. 

“Diamond?” 

“Uh!” Diamond jumped, shaking out of their trance. “I’ll just have whatever Alexis is having.”

“Okay,” Jasper raised a brow and turned back to Brenda to shuffle her wallet out of her back pocket with one hand. When she turned back around, however, Diamond wasn’t at her side.

Jumping, Jasper looked around, finding her child walking up to a table where three complete strangers sat across from none other than Kathy’s sister. Judging by the fact that the woman’s hair was down and her tattoos were covered by work clothes, she was with clients. 

_ Oh. _

“Diamond!” Jasper hissed, chasing past the child. 

Diamond paid her no mind and just waltzed straight up to the table, not saying anything, though they caught Jenny’s attention.

“Oh!” Jenny jumped. “Diamond, fancy seeing you here!”

As if they had no clue they were walking up to Jenny, Diamond jumped and glanced down. “Oh! Hi Jenny, didn’t see you there!”

Jasper didn’t even bother to question their erratic behavior as she reached out to grab them by the shoulders, “Diamond, honey, Jen is with a client!”

Diamond let out a yelp glancing up at her before they let out a, “Uh...but…”

“No, Jasper it’s okay, this is actually pretty good timing,” Jenny noted. “Stephanie, Becca, Mark, this is my sister-in-law and her kids!”

“Uhhhh,” Jasper squinted at the woman, “You’re getting a  _ little _ ahead of yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Jenny waved her hand. “In any case, Jasper, these are some good friends of mine and Kevin.” 

“Hi, nice to meet you,” Jasper greeted, trying to guide Diamond away. She eyed the family discretely, noting that the daughter who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Diamond. “I’m very sorry for interrupting, Jen, we were just on our way out.”

“But Mom--” Diamond started but a pat on their shoulder silenced them. 

“Wait,” the daughter looked up again with wonder, “You’re CheetoMom, right?”

Jasper jumped, not prepared to  _ ever _ hear the internet name Steven gave her out loud. If she didn’t have such a huge follower base she would be super inclined to change it.

“That’s her!” Diamond cheered, pointing excitedly up at Jasper. “And I’m Diamond! And this is Onyx!”

The girl’s eyes sparkled with wonder as she stared at Jasper, a glint of something in them.

It almost looked like...hope?

That couldn’t be right.

Unless she was a fan.

Which she probably was.

Jasper glanced down at Diamond for a moment who was staring off into the distance again, their eyes full of complete wonder before the unconsciously broke out into a smile. Jasper then glanced back down at the girl and watched as she crossed her arms over a baby bump before she looked hesitantly at Jen and started to say something.

The girl was inevitably cut off by her mother who said, “Becca, don’t.”

Something clicked in the back of Jasper’s mind and her stomach sank.

Oh stars no.

“Well, um,” Jasper stumbled over her words, trying to take evasive action, “Once again I’m really sorry for interrupting, but it was really nice to meet you all.”

“Actually, Jasper, could I ask you--” Jenny started. 

“Gaaah sorry I gotta go, Onyx has to use the bathroom,” Jasper said, thanking all the stars in this galaxy for her son’s sudden squirming to remind her. “Could you call me later?”

Jenny pursed her lips giving that eerily familiar look as she crossed her arms and sighed, “Alright. I’ll text you tonight.”

“Cool,” Jasper grinned. “Bye, Becca!”

Becca’s head jerked up, staring at Jasper with stars in her eyes and Jasper felt that horrible feeling creeping into the back of her mind as she dragged Diamond out of the bakery.

“Mom,” Diamond spat angrily.

“Not now, Di,” Jasper groaned.

“You should’ve heard what Jenny had to say!” they snarked. 

“Diamond, now is not the time,” Jasper grimaced. 

“Now is the perfect time!” Diamond snapped back. “ _ Mom! _ You saw that girl! And she was with Jenny!”

“Yeah and she seems like she has a lot on her plate,” Jasper heaved a sigh as they rounded the street corner and trudged up to the front door and rushed Onyx to the bathroom, not minding the snow she was tracking in. 

“Mom, just hear me out,” Diamond pressed. “I just think...it would be a splendid idea to consider...possibly…”

“No,” Jasper put her foot down. 

“You didn’t let me finish!” They whined.

“If you say anything about me talking to Jenny about that girl’s case and breaching confidentiality that’s out of the question,” Jasper sighed heavily.

“I’m not saying you ask about her case and breach confidentiality I’m saying that maaaybe Onyx would want to be a big brother?”

Jasper whipped her head around to glare at the child, “Absolutely not!”

“What!?” Diamond looked distressed. “Why not?! Onyx would  _ love _ a younger sibling!” 

Onyx looked up at Jasper from his perch on the toilet seat and said, “I could be a big brother!”

“No,” Jasper grimaced, shaking her head as she helped the toddler off the toilet and made sure he washed his hands. “No, no, no. I am plenty happy with my two kids and I’m not doing anything that huge without consulting Kathy!”

“Then ask her!” Diamond protested. “The more the merrier!”

“Diamond, for the love of all that is good I am not going around and adopting every kid on the street corner and every baby that’s given up for adoption,” Jasper hissed. “It’s not that simple!”

“I’m not saying you adopt  _ everyone _ , I’m saying you adopt that girl’s baby!” Diamond insisted. “You gotta!”

“And  _ why _ dare I ask, must I?” Jasper snapped. 

Losing their temper, Diamond stamped their foot on the ground and screamed, “BECAUSE I SAW THE PINK LADY!” 

At that, Jasper reared her head back in surprise. “You’re serious?”

“Yes!” Diamond pleaded.

“Diamond,” Jasper pinched her gem, “I know you have the best of intentions but I can’t just--”

“You don’t believe me do you,” Diamond knitted their brows together in distress. “I’m not making this up, she was  _ there _ ! She had her fancy cape and everything!”

“Diamond, I’m not saying I don’t believe you, I’m just saying that--” Jasper stopped herself. “Wait, what fancy cape?”

“The-the fancy pink little drapey things that she wears, I dunno,” Diamond shrugged, looking away with pink cheeks. “She’s only worn those when she’s showed up when I’ve met a new addition to  _ our _ family. They like...kinda hook around her shoulders a little bit and tuck into this like” -Diamond gestured to their chest- “cut-out that’s diamond-shaped on her suit.”

“Her  _ suit?”  _ Jasper turned to face Diamond fully as Onyx ran past her to play in the living room. She had never heard Diamond describe what the Pink Lady look like, nor did she really think to ask. It just hadn’t occurred to her. 

“Yeah!” Diamond lifted their hands into the air. “It’s a dark pink cat suit or something. It’s like the same color as her gem--”

“She has a  _ gem _ !?” Jasper shrieked. Diamond jumped, looking up at her with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you say she was a gem?”

“I didn’t put that together?” Diamond shrugged. “I hadn’t seen her in years since I met you before we met Onyx and I haven’t seen her since!”

Jasper heaved a sigh, telling herself that she needed to hold her ground. 

And yet…

“And this Pink Lady just...dictates whoever kids’ families are gonna be?”

“Kind of?” Diamond shrugged. “It was just a story we kids told each other because she led us to our forever families.”

Jasper let out a groan.

She never once regretted her decision to take Diamond and Onyx in. Not once. They were two of the three best things to ever happen to her, the third being Kathy.

But that didn’t change the fact that two kids were difficult to handle by herself.

And a third would be outright impossible. 

And yet…

Jasper was laying on the bed when Jenny called as promised and she didn’t have the energy to pretend she didn’t know what the woman was going to say.

“Heeey, Jasper!”

“Jenny, I can’t take in another kid,” Jasper grimaced. “I know Kathy told you what happened the last time I tried to just balance parenting two all by myself.”

“Except you _ wouldn’t _ be all by yourself because you have a smoking hot girlfriend!” Jenny retorted, as if she had rehearsed this conversation in her head. 

“Okay well Kathy’s not here to make that decision with me now is she?” Jasper snapped. 

“Oh Lord you two are starting to even sound like each other,” Jenny retorted. “You could call her.”

“Jen--”

“I won’t press it,” Jenny said. “But I talked to Kevin and he thinks you and Kathy would be great candidates for this.”

“It sounds like you’re pressing it.”

“I--” Jenny started but cut herself off. “You’re right. Well, for what it’s worth we just thought of you because you are a stellar mom.”

“Thanks, Jenny, I appreciate it,” Jasper said, heaving a sigh. “I’ll talk to you later.”

With that, the two agreed on dinner for later in the week and Jasper hung up, racking her brain and telling herself that she wasn’t going to cave, that she was going to be smarter about this, for her kids’ sake. 

For that kid’s sake.

For  _ Becca’s _ sake, stars she could only imagine what stress that girl was under. 

Still, Jasper cursed to herself and dialed Kathy’s number into her phone. 

“Hey, Babe!” Kathy sounded chipper. 

“Babe,” Jasper mused. “You’ve been calling me that a lot more, you know?”

Kathy let out a series of disgruntled noises.

“I mean! You’re pretty babe-ish,” the woman retorted. “If you want me to stop, I will.”

“No, it strokes my ego,” Jasper admitted. “Keep doing that.”

“You’re the worst.”

“I know.”

“So anyway,” Kathy sighed, “How are you? I heard you ran into Jen today?”

“Yeeeeah,” Jasper groaned. “She was in the middle of a meeting with her clients.”

“Yeah,” Kathy coughed. “Um...about that…”

“Oh stars, Jen told you didn’t she,” Jasper groaned. After she was given an affirmative noise, Jasper immediately began insisting, “Look, Kathy, I’m not going to do anything about what your sister said.”

Kathy was silent for a moment.

“Why not?”

“I--” Jasper coughed. “Do you want me to?”

“I want you to do what feels right,” Kathy insisted. “I’m just surprised that you’re giving this such a hard pass.”

“Well, it’s not like I really  _ can _ do anything! Not by myself!” Jasper retorted. 

“You’re right,” Kathy said, “Thought need I remind you that I wouldn’t be by myself?”

Jasper chuckled at that. 

Kathy started again, “So...if you weren’t going to do anything...why did you call me?”

Normally Jasper would have made a quip about how sometimes she just likes to hear her girlfriend’s voice, but in this instance she did have a point. 

“Um…” Jasper heaved a sigh. “Because...I feel like I should?”

“How come?”

“Oh boy,” Jasper ran a hand over her face, “I...okay this is going to sound weird and unrelated but did...did Diamond ever tell you about the Pink Lady?”

Kathy sounded surprised, “The what?”

“It’s this children’s tale that Diamond heard from other foster kids about some lady that shows up when they meet their forever families,” Jasper explained. “But they claim that they could see her.”

“Oh,” Kathy sounded uncertain, “Well...I mean it’s not uncommon for children at that age to have imaginary friends.”

“Well, that’s the thing,” Jasper struggled to find the right words, “That’s just it. They saw her again today when we ran into Jenny.”

“Oh, Jasper,” Kathy sounded exasperated, “You know it could be possible that they said that to persuade you, right?”

“Well that’s the other thing!” Jasper sat up, “I thought so too...but when they described her…”

“Yeah?”

“Kathy, they described Pink Diamond.”

At that, the woman was very quiet. 

“Kathy?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Jasper gripped her head, hoping she didn’t sound completely crazy though she know she did. “The only person that Diamond would have  _ ever _ heard anything about Pink Diamond from other than me was Amethyst, and Am never even met her! There’s no way they could have known what she looked like and yet when they described the Pink Lady to me they described Pink Diamond to a  _ tee _ .” 

Jasper took another breath when Kathy didn’t say anything further and she finished, “And...I don’t know what this means.”

“Jasper,” Kathy sighed, “I don’t know anything about the Pink Lady or Pink Diamond but...if anything, I’m going to say that this means you shouldn’t write this possibility out altogether.”

“Seriously?” Jasper asked. “You’d...be okay if I adopted another baby?”

“Of course,” Kathy said. “On the condition that you tell me when you need help.”

“Well, I wouldn't even be thinking on this unless I was counting on your help,” Jasper chuckled. “Alright...well. I’m not saying this is a yes but I’ll think about it.”

When Jasper hung up the phone, she heaved a sigh and laid back down on the bed.

Stars, she really was considering this wasn’t she. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those of you that read the Valentine's Day special, you guys will probably know that Jasper is more than considering this :D 
> 
> ALL WILL BE REVEALED~~ In the LAST chapter of this lovely fic and I'm already getting sappy and emotional here!! :')


	31. My Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And another door opens...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. 
> 
> This is it, folks. 
> 
> This is the last chapter. 
> 
> I'd be lying if I said I wasn't in tears a little bit typing this. This is actually it. A story that started off as a silly idea when I asked my friend what Jasper's reaction would be if she had to deal with children turned into this amazingly incredible journey that I hadn't expected. I've laughed, I've cried, and I know I've inflicted a lot more on all of you. And honestly guys, I just have to say:
> 
> Thank you. 
> 
> Thank you so much for laughing with me, for crying with me, for cheering Kasper on with me. You guys are the heart and soul of this fic, your kind words and thoughtful insights continue to inspire me each day and you all are what have kept me going throughout this amazing fic. 
> 
> Now, they say that as one door closes, another opens, so go out there and read this chapter! Because I promise this isn't the end!

Jasper really tried to keep from considering the possibility.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to take in another child, stars, she would love that. She loved Diamond and she loved Onyx and just when she didn’t think she could love those kids more something would happen that would just make her heart swell ten fold. And she hadn’t pictured her life being any more perfect when it was just her and Diamond, and Onyx brought in so many more opportunities and made her little life with those kids all the better. So the idea of opening her home up to someone else wasn’t the problem.

The problem was the very idea of Jasper failing yet _another_ child if she corrupted or accidentally hurt them.

“Jasper,” Kathy hummed on the video chat. They had been sitting enjoying each other’s company while Jasper had a moment to herself with Onyx napping and Diamond training with Pearl. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Jasper grumbled.

“That doesn’t sound like nothing,” Kathy retorted.

“Jenny’s coming over for dinner tonight,” Jasper finally heaved, “And I’m trying to think of an argument for her in the event that she tries to convince me to adopt a baby.”

“I thought you said you wanted to!” Kathy asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

“Yeah well…” Jasper let out a strangled noise, not sure how to phrase it.

“Well, what?”

“I don’t want to fail them,” Jasper finally relented. “I already failed Onyx and Diamond once, I don’t know if I could handle failing another child too.”

“Okay,” Kathy closed her eyes tightly, “Please elaborate: in what way have you failed Diamond and Onyx?”

“I corrupted, Kathy!” Jasper yelled back, “I’m a complete mess!”

The response the woman gave Jasper was an indignant glare.

“Jasper,” Kathy spat.

“What?” Jasper groaned.

“Struggling with a condition that you _live_ with on a daily basis is not the same as failing your children,” the woman crossed her arms. “If anything, I’d say you’re doing a damn good job considering you’ve _only_ corrupted once! Also, what does your corruption have to do with how much your kids adore you and trust you? What does that have to do with how good of a parent you are?”

“But--”

“Nu-uh,” Kathy snapped back, “I’m battling your inner demons with my sheer power of will here, let me finish!”

Jasper grunted, but sat back helplessly, allowing Kathy her soap box, “You’re the type of mom that most parents _wish_ they could be! How many parents can say that they’re as involved in their kids lives as you?”

“Kathy--”

“How many can say that their child came out to them - as _genderqueer_ no less - and they responded to that child with nothing but love and the willingness to learn and help that kid explore their identity?"

“Kathy, I didn’t even know how human genders _worked_ ,” Jasper defended. “I was just rolling with it!”

“That’s part of my point, Jasper,” Kathy emphasized. “You roll with the things that your kids tell you and if you don’t understand what they’re saying, you ask questions. You _listen_. And that is so huge, Jasper. Trust me when I say that you’re incredible and that you’ve never ever failed your children.”

Jasper let out another groan, not sure if she was wilting under the woman’s praise or begrudgingly feeling validated from it.

“I know that’s not going to change your mind,” Kathy sighed, looking sad, “But I don’t want you to let your fear deter you from doing something you want to do. Especially something this important.”

“Okay,” Jasper sighed.

“Don’t shut Jenny down outright,” Kathy said, “But grill her with questions, make sure that you feel this is absolutely the right thing to do before you decide. Or the wrong thing if you choose not to. Whatever the choice is, I want you to be certain and I want you to know that I’m going to support you 100%.”

“Thanks, Kathy,” Jasper managed a smile. “That means a lot.”

“Hey,” Kathy grinned, “What are girlfriends for?”

After the two bid their goodbyes, Jasper prepared herself and dinner for Jenny. Diamond came home shortly before Jenny and the gem woke Onyx up from his nap in time for dinner. As far as Jenny knew from when they had last spoken, this was just a casual dinner. But Jasper sucked in  a breath, deciding to breach the topic once the table was cleared, the kids were in the living room, and Jen was helping her with the dishes. “Hey, so I know I shot down the idea earlier...but...I wanted to ask you something.”

Jenny perked up at that, a twinkle in her blue eyes, “What’s up?”

“About...your clients that we met the other day,” Jasper tried to phrase her words carefully. “I don’t want to pry or put you in an awkward position I just...was wondering...have you found a family that’s interested in adopting that baby?”

Jenny shook her head, the energy draining from her suddenly as she responded, “No. The thing is, she’s not having a baby she’s having _babies_. A set of twins. Her parents are just concerned about just placing the children in the first homes we can find, but she is very adamant about keeping the kids together and we’re trying to honor that. Unfortunately, there aren’t many families that are looking to adopt one more child than they had anticipated.”

As Jenny spoke, Jasper had to brace herself against the counter and keep the series of distressed noises that escaped her lips.

 _Twins_!?

She couldn’t handle _twins!_

Ohhhhh stars why did she even ask?

Jenny quirked an eyebrow and leaned her hip against the counter as she finished drying the last plate. “Why are you asking?”

“Uh,” Jasper felt _really_ wrong about saying what came out of her mouth next: “Nothing, I was just curious.”

“Uh-huh,” Jenny droned in a familiar tone. Her mouth quirked up in a small smile, “You’re thinking about adopting them aren’t you.”

“No I’m not,” Jasper lied, failing miserably at keeping a bravado.

“Yes you are!” Jenny slammed the towel down excitedly. “Admit it!”

“I…” Jasper scratched the side of her head, “I’d be considering it _more_ if I didn’t already have a set of two.”

“Yes but think of it this way,” Jenny poked Jasper’s side playfully, causing the gem to flinch. “Twice the kid means twice the fun!”

“You mean quadruple the fun, right?” Jasper groaned.

“Even better!” Jenny teased before dropping into a slightly more serious tone, “I know the thought seems overwhelming, but I wouldn’t be talking about this with you if I didn’t think you could handle it - if Kevin didn’t think you could handle it. But in all honesty, you’d be the best person for those twins. Neither of us can think of anyone better, and if you don’t believe me you could ask Kevin yourself.”

“Really?” Jasper asked skeptically, “How so?”

“Well, for starters, you’re more than financially stable enough to provide for four kids,” Jenny crossed her arms as she went through a mental checklist, “Especially if we counted on Kathy to provide some extra support. Onyx is close in age to them which is really ideal for siblings, and while Diamond is much older than them, they’re very mature and so good with Onyx that the transition from having one younger sibling to three would be seamless for that kid. And I’m not even going into the list of all the things that just make you a great mom in general.”

“Okay, okay,” Jasper lifted her hands, “I get your point.”

“I have a one-on-one with Becca tomorrow,” Jenny said with a pleading gaze, “Jasper...just, come meet her. Talk to her and hear what she’s looking for. She’s a young girl that made a childish mistake which threw her into an adult situation way before she was ready. But she _cares_ about those kids so much, more than her parents realize. She tells me every meeting that she wants to find a home for those kids that would be like CheetoMom’s. If nothing else, you could give her your autograph.”

While the last statement was a tease, Jasper couldn’t help but find that at the very least that was something she needed to give to that girl, especially after her abrupt entrance that was swiftly followed by an abrupt exit the other day.

“Alright,” Jasper nodded her head, “I’ll call Onyx’s babysitter and see if she’s free tomorrow. And then I’ll stop by.”

Jasper had only been to the office building Jenny worked in once, and that had been under very different circumstances. Back then, Jasper had waltzed in, so nervous she had to consciously keep from shaking visibly, with no clue how human legal documents worked, and Diamond’s small hand in hers and Kathy walking a few feet ahead of them. None of them had any clue if Jasper’s gutsy promise would even pan out and she had been so afraid that her efforts would be all for not.

And now, that woman that led Jasper into the building years ago was a girlfriend she loved with her whole heart. And Diamond had grown so so much, but most of all there was no question of whether or not Jasper was meant to be their mom, and she had not one but two beautiful children to call her own.

And now...she just might be walking out of here with four children to call her own. Or at least...two of which on the way.

Of course, Jasper bumped into Kevin in the hallway and they spent several minutes talking because Jasper was honestly procrastinating due to the simple fact that she was nervous. But once Kevin remembered that Jenny was in an appointment, he immediately directed Jasper in that direction. She found Jenny’s office and knocked gently on the door.

“Jeeen?” Jasper called out nervously.

“Come in!” Jenny responded chipperly. Jasper stepped in carefully, scanning the room as she entered to find the girl sitting in a lounge chair across from the social worker. She looked to have been crying but she froze, staring at Jasper with wide eyes.

“Uhh, hi,” Jasper coughed. “Is this a bad time?”

Jenny looked over at Becca this time, letting the girl decide that.

“N-no,” she shook her head.

“Okay,” Jasper said softly, closing the door behind her. Jenny gestured for her to sit down in the chair next to Becca and followed the woman’s cue to direct her attention to the girl. “Hi...uh...Becca?”

“Hi,” Becca shifted in her seat to face Jasper fully.

“Um..” Jasper twiddled her thumbs, “I heard you were a fan?”

At _that_ , Becca crumpled under her gaze, breaking out into tears as Jenny pushed the tissue box closer to him.

“I’m sorry,” the girl whimpered, taking a tissue.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Jasper reached hesitantly forward to place a hand on Becca’s shoulder, glancing at Jenny to find her approval before moving fully. “Hey now, it’s alright.”

“I just,” Becca sniffled, trying to wipe her eyes, “I think you’re amazing and...I want to be like you and yet I’m here and I…I’m like _this_ and I just feel like such a failure.”

“Hey,” Jasper gave Becca’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You’re not a failure. I can promise you that.”

“But--”

Jasper felt exactly like Kathy as she cut the girl off, “There are plenty of ways to fail in life, and I can promise that loving your kid and wanting the best is not one of them.”

At that, Becca coughed out a laugh and heaved, “My parents have been really mad at me ever since I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t know what I was doing and my ex-boyfriend is a senior at my school and I just wanted to be closer to him.”

“Well, if he’s your ex now I’m guessing he doesn’t deserve a girl as sweet as you, huh,” Jasper quipped, earning another smile from the girl. The gem cracked a smile and asked, “So what year are you?”

“A sophomore.”

Jasper nodded at that, not sure how to respond to the girl’s comments about her parents when Jenny chimed in, “Becca, honey, I don’t think you’re parents are mad at you.”

“Then why do they always yell at me and act like I don’t get to have a say in what happens to _my_ babies?!” Becca snapped back, causing Jasper to jump slightly. Based on how hostile her response was, the gem had a feeling that this had been the topic of conversation she had walked in on.

“Parents just do the best that they can,” Jenny offered up. “Right now is a stressful time for everyone involved and--”

“And my mom doesn’t care about what I think!” Becca retorted. “She told me last night that this whole thing is punishment and that I deserve this!”

“That’s...a little extreme…” Jasper thought out loud, but realized she should not have commented too late when she received a pointed glare from Jenny. She coughed, “I mean…”

“I’ll talk to your mom about that,” Jenny sighed, writing something down on her notepad. “Becca, I don’t want you to see this as a punishment because it isn’t. Your situation, like everything else you will have to deal with throughout your life, is a learning experience. And you’re handling this very well. You and your parents are doing the best that you guys can and that’s all you can expect from each other.”

“I just,” Becca sniffed, “I wish I had a say in what happened to them.”

“You are getting a say,” Jenny insisted, “As far as I know, we are not going to separate the twins. That’s something important to you, so it’s important to us.”

“And what if you don’t find a family that will take both of them?” Becca asked, growing distraught again. “What will you do then?”

“We’ll keep searching,” Jenny pressed, smiling at her.

Jasper sucked in a breath.

She was caving.

Oh stars she was caving.

“Actually...Becca…” Jasper cringed. “Jenny...may have found a family.”

At that, Jasper received a startled look from Becca and a fierce glare for Jenny for but a moment before it occurred to her what Jasper was about to say and she immediately lit up, “Ohhhhh, yeah! Well, I should say that nothing is set in stone just yet and we can’t make any promises but that’s partly why I asked if I could invite Jasper today.”

“I...was mostly just wanting to ask you,” Jasper cleared her throat, “What it was _you_ were looking for?”

“Well,” Becca glanced down giving the shirt fabric over her stomach a tug. “I...I really just want to keep the them together. And...Mom said she doesn’t really want to opt for an open adoption which means I wouldn’t be able to talk to them so...I just don’t want to worry about what’ll happen to them, you know? Like, I want to be able to get to know their parents and be comfortable with them there when the twins are born...I just want to know that they’ll be okay.”

“Yeah,” Jasper felt herself melting in the girl’s emerald gaze. Trying to stave away her overwhelming need to nurture and protect the kid, “I understand that.”

Becca’s head jerked up, “You do?”

“Of course I do,” Jasper smiled. “So how far along are you?”

“Um,” Becca wiped her eyes, “six months?”

“Oh wow,” Jasper nodded. “So do you know...I guess...uh...stars, how do I phrase it…the genders?”

“Oh!” Becca grinned, “Two girls.”

Over the course of the conversation, Jasper realized that she was quickly falling in love with the girl and she was quickly falling in love with the little girls she was carrying.

And she hadn’t even met them yet.

Jasper walked out of that meeting not promising anything until they went through the home check, met with Becca’s family, and went through all the formal procedures that evaluated whether or not she was a good fit for the twins. However, that didn’t stop Jasper from marching all the way to the temple where she face-planted in the living room and let out a groan.

That also didn’t stop her brain from sifting through possible names for the girls.

“Yo, Jasp, what’s up?” Amethyst chuckled, observing Jasper from the perch of her counter.

“I’m about to do something stupid,” Jasper groaned, her voice muffled against the floor.

“Yes!” Garnet cheered and Jasper groaned, knowing full well that the fusion already knew. “I like the first two names!”

“What?” Jasper lifted her head, snarling at Garnet. “I thought Ruby would at least want dibs on something.”

“Naah, I’m good fighting over the next one,” Garnet grinned, shrugging nonchalantly. Jasper had half a mind to ask her what she meant by the next one but she didn’t want to poke at her damn future vision any further so she smacked her face back on the ground and groaned.

“What is with her?” Pearl asked.

“Well, she hasn’t whined this much since she forgot to consult Kathy about adopting Onyx,” Amethyst noted. “And before that she hadn’t whined so much since she was trying to adopt Diamond soooo…”

“You’re adopting another baby!?” Steven cheered excitedly, “Is that why Connie had to babysit today!?”

“That’s exactly why I asked Connie to babysit and no, I’m not adopting a baby,” Jasper retorted before she felt a mix between dread and excitement wash over her as she finally admitted, “I’m adopting two babies.”

“WHAAAAT!?” Amethyst shrieked. Jasper glanced up at her sister to find stars in the runts eyes and Pearl dancing excitedly behind her.

“Ohhhh Jasper!” Pearl cheered, “That’s so exciting! But wait, have you talked to Kathy yet?”

“She encouraged it,” Jasper explained. “The girl’s not due for another three months if she makes it full term, apparently. So if Kathy gets into all the summer classes she’s trying to take and the last class she’ll need after next fall is offered online she’d be back after a couple of months to help with the girls.”

“They’re GIRLS!?” the gems all screamed, hooting and hollering with excitement. Their energy levels did feed into Jasper a bit, and the validation that this was in fact a good idea made her feel way better about herself. Sitting up, Amethyst hopped off the counter and grabbed hold of Jasper’s shoulders, “So what are you gonna name them!?”

“Well,” Jasper shrugged, “I don’t know what their birth mom was thinking about names just yet but...I was actually debating asking you and Pearl if...I could name the girls after you two.”

Jasper’s statement stilled the two gems in question suddenly as Garnet failed to hold back an excited squeal.

“What?” Amethyst asked, almost in a mocking manner. “Why would you want to name someone after _me_?”

“I dunno, because you’re awesome?” Jasper shrugged. “You were there for me despite how horrible I was to you and you’ve helped me a lot and basically you’re my sister?”

Amethyst stared at Jasper dumbfoundedly, not saying anything and because Jasper hated the silence she made herself look more like a goon as she looked up at Pearl and added, “And Pearl’s basically one of my best friends and she’s helped me get over a lot of stuff that happened during the war. And...stars, I can’t believe I’m admitting this but…” clearing her throat, the quartz had to look away completely as she admitted, “I don’t know what I’d do without any of you annnnd if I had enough children to name after all of you I would but for right now I figured I could name my girls after Pearl and Amethyst because why not?”

Jasper felt _really_ uncomfortable under the weight of everyone’s gazes but the sound of Pearl’s blubbering finally broke the silence.

“Ohhhh, JASPEERRR!!” Pearl wailed, running up to the quartz with her lanky arms flailing as she jumped on Jasper with minimal impact.

Jasper seized up for a moment, not sure how to react to Pearl crying and hugging her, but she relaxed a little more when Amethyst’s arms wrapped around her.

Alright, so Pearl and Amethyst it was.

 

* * *

 

Well, the names Jasper had settled on came into question when Becca and her family came to visit to see what kind of home the twins would be living in.

Diamond was so excited when Jasper told them she was adopting the twins that they started crying and had made it their personal mission to teach Onyx all that there was to know about being a big brother, and their excitement over the coaching made Onyx so excited that he went to bed every night asking if his sisters had arrived yet.

So naturally, nothing could stop Diamond from attempting to launch themselves at Becca to hug her when she showed up with her parents.

“Diamond, dial it back a bit,” Jasper tried to lecture the minute she saw them getting ready to take off.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so excited!” they squealed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jasper grinned. She welcomed the family and Jenny into the house and gave them a tour. The room that she had decided on using as a nursery was currently her office that she used for filming videos, so until she could figure out where to move everything (hopefully quickly) she couldn’t convert the room. Becca’s parents were rather pleasant to speak with, though she did notice how strict they were with their daughter.

Jasper could tell that all three of them had been unbelievably stressed, and the relief that washed over her parents’ faces when they saw how gently Jasper handled Onyx didn’t go unnoticed.

Diamond had taken an instant liking to Becca and spent a portion of the visit with her up in their room, showing her around. Despite the age difference, the two had very much taken a liking to each other, so much so that they were giggling as they came down the stairs and were reluctant to part when Jenny suggested that Jasper and Becca spend some time speaking alone.

Jasper smiled, noting how much better Becca seemed compared to the last time she had seen her. “You and Diamond seem to be getting along.”

“Yeah,” Becca nodded, “They’re really cool.”

Jasper chuckled, “They seem to think you’re pretty cool as well. And I’d have to agree.”

“Thank you,” Becca grinned.

The two talked for a little bit, going over mostly what Jenny told them to try to talk about unless Becca had another topic to bring up. But finally, Jasper found herself asking, “So...I was just curious, what did you want to name the girls?”

“Uh,” Becca looked down, “My parents and Jenny said that was more your decision.”

“Well, yeah, but I kind of wanted to get your input,” Jasper shrugged.

Becca’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” Becca glanced down, her cheeks flushing, “I only ever was able to come up with one name...and...this is kind of embarrassing…”

“What?” Jasper chuckled. “You can tell me.”

“Well,” Becca scratched the back of her head, “I kind of drew inspiration from you.”

“Aww,” Jasper said subconsciously, but bit her mouth shut when she noticed how red the girl’s face turned. “How so?”

“Well, you’re a gem,” Becca shrugged. “And you named Onyx and Diamond after gems so...I was kind of wanting to follow the same pattern. So...I was thinking...maybe Jade?”

Becca looked up at Jasper with such hopeful eyes that despite the fact that her hopes put a wrench in her plans, the gem couldn’t say no without giving the name more thought. She tested the name out on her tongue for a moment before she smiled to herself.

“I love it,” she said, grinning wider as Becca lit up with excitement.

“But what about the other one?”

“Hmm,” Jasper had to think hard. She had been so set on Pearl and Amethyst that she couldn’t really consider choosing one name over the other…

But as far as the namesakes went…

“What about Opal?” Jasper suggested, gauging Becca’s reaction to determine whether or not that was a good idea.

“That’s so pretty!” Becca guffawed. “Yes! That’s perfect!”

“Heh,” Jasper grunted to herself with a smile, “Jade and Opal...what a pair.”

 

* * *

 

As the weeks flew by and Jasper got ready for the two new arrivals, she was met with nothing but excitement. Kathy was furiously calculating how soon she could finish school and get home, despite Jasper’s insistence that she didn’t need to rush and hurt herself in the process. Greg had come over multiple times to help her figure out how to convert the office and where to put everything else, and eventually they just decided to set up a desk space against the stairway and figure out something to do with the extra equipment on another day.

Amidst all the excitement, Diamond had caught the flu.

It wasn’t too bad, but it did wipe them out for a few days and led to some missed school and a lot of pampering.The couch had been dubbed the official sick space ever since Diamond’s menarche, and once Jasper set it up and draped some sheets over the couch, that became where Diamond slept at night while they were sick, with Jasper on the floor to make sure they were okay.

Once their fever broke, Onyx was finally able to cuddle up next to Diamond, relieved that the agonizingly long wait to help take care of his sibling was over.

“Ugh, Paulette doesn’t deserve Percy,” Diamond groaned, hugging the little boy on their lap a little tighter.

“I know, right,” Peridot snarked from her seat on the floor. When the green gem had overheard that Diamond was sick she immediately rushed over with every season of Camp Pining Hearts claiming that it was the cure to all wounds. Jasper could not for the life of her find anything interesting about the teenage soap opera, but for whatever reason Diamond adored the horrendous acting and over dramatic plotlines so she wasn’t going to say anything. “Clearly Percy and Pierre are the better pair.”

“YES!” Diamond leaned forward, but the color quickly drained from their face as they leaned back. “It’s always better when it’s gay.”

“It really is,” Peridot mused, placing a contemplative finger to her mouth. “There’s something refreshing about it when used for common tropes in these shoes.”

“And music,” Diamond added. “Like you know that Shawn Mendes song about treating the girl he’s pining after better than her current boyfriend can? If you switch the nouns in it, it’s waaaay better.”

Peridot leaned forward reciting the lyrics under her breath before her entire face lit up and she screamed, “OH YOU’RE RIGHT!”

“See?” Diamond grinned. Jasper could only shake her head in amusement as the two went back and forth. As much as they loved seeing Peridot, the kid was exhausted by the time she left.

“You need to go to sleep early?” Jasper asked, fluffing the pillows.

“Can I sit on your lap first?” Diamond asked, adjusting a sleeping Onyx in their lap.

“You sure can,” Jasper smiled, stooping down to scoop the children up into her arms and sitting down on the couch, cradling Diamond in her arms. Resting their head on Jasper’s chest, Diamond closed their eyes. “Hey, Mom?”

“Yeah?” Jasper responded.

“I’m...really glad that you’re my mom,” Diamond smiled to themselves. Jasper felt her entire being overflow with joy as she held them a little tighter. “And I’m glad Onyx is my brother...and I’m glad that Jade and Opal will be my sisters.”

“I’m really glad about all of that too, Kiddo,” Jasper kissed Diamond’s forehead. “And to think that I wouldn’t have all this if it hadn’t been for you.”

Diamond shrugged, as if they had nothing to do with how drastically Jasper’s life had been changed.

“I’m serious,” Jasper said gently. “You’re pretty amazing, do you know that?”

Diamond giggled at that. “I love you, Mom...could you sing the song to me?”

“The Love Like You song?” Jasper guessed. Diamond grinned up at her and the gem chuckled as she saw Onyx’s eyes opened momentarily, looking up at Jasper in expectation as well. Smiling, she rocked the children gently as she sang the lyrics, unable to contain her joy.

Soon enough, there would be two more that she could rock and sing to in the evenings.

For thousands of years, Jasper had thought of herself as Pink Diamond’s quartz, a soldier.

And now, thanks to the sweet sweet Diamond in her arms, Jasper was so much more than that.

She was a mom, and that was one of the greatest honors Earth had to offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW GO OUT THERE AND HIT THE NEXT BUTTON IF YOU WANT THE SEQUEL! 
> 
> AND IF I HAVEN'T POSTED DIAMOND'S UNIVERSE YET CUZ I AM V TIRED THEN GO ON AND ENJOY THE FLUFFY SIDE STORIES THAT THE NEXT BUTTON WILL TAKE YOU TO UNTIL I GET SOME SLEEP IN ME AND FINISH CHAPTER 1 OF THAT! <3


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